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TO  HERAT  AND  CABUL 


ANGUS  AND  POTTINOER   WATCHING   THE   FIGHT   FROM 
THE  WALLS  OF  HERAT. 

Frontispiece. 


TO  HERAT  AND  CABUL 

A  STORY  OF 

THE  FIRST  AFGHAN  WAR 


BY 

G.  A.  HENTY 

Author  of  "  With  Buller  in  Natal "  "  At  the  Point  of  the  Bayonet ' 
"The  Bravest  of  the  Brave  "  "  Won  by  the  Sword  "  <fec. 


WITH  EIGHT  ILLUSTRATIONS  BY  CHARLES  M.  SHELDON 


NEW  YORK 

CHARLES  SCRIBNER'S  SONS 
1901 


COPYRIGHT,  1901,  BY 
CHARLES  SCRIBNER'S  SONS 

Publithed  .September,  1801 


THE  CAXTON  PRKSS 
NEW  YORK. 


PREFACE 


In  the  military  history  of  this  country  there  is  no  darker 
page  than  the  destruction  of  a  considerable  British  force  in 
the  terrible  defiles  between  Cabul  and  Jellalabad  in  January, 
1842.  Of  all  the  wars  in  which  our  troops  have  taken  part 
never  was  one  entered  upon  so  recklessly  or  so  unjustifiably. 
The  ruler  of  Afghanistan,  Dost  Mahomed,  was  sincerely 
anxious  for  our  friendship.  He  was  alarmed  at  the  menac- 
ing attitude  of  Russia,  which,  in  conjunction  with  Persia, 
was  threatening  his  dominions  and  intriguing  with  the 
princes  at  Candahar.  'Our  commissioner  at  Cabul,  Mr. 
Burnes,  was  convinced  of  the  Ameer's  honesty  of  intention, 
and  protested  most  strongly  against  the  course  taken  by  the 
Indian  government,  who  determined  upon  setting  up  a  dis- 
credited prince,  who  had  for  many  years  been  a  fugitive  in 
India,  in  place  of  Dost  Mahomed. 

In  spite  of  his  remonstrances,  the  war  was  undertaken. 
Nothing  could  have  been  worse  than  the  arrangements  for 
it,  and  the  troops  suffered  terribly  from  thirst  and  want  of 

Xj  transport.    However,  they  reached  Cabul  with  comparatively 

little  fighting.     Dost  Mahomed  fled,  and  the  puppet  Shah 

J  Soojah  was  set  up  in  his  place;  but  he  was  only  kept  there 

^  by  British  bayonets,  and  for  two  years  he  was  so  protected. 

»  Gradually,  however,  the  British  force  was  withdrawn,  until 

V  only  some  five   thousand  troops   remained  to   support  him. 

^  Well  led,  they  would  have  been  amply  sufficient  for  the  pur- 

pose,   for   though   the    Afghan    tribesmen    were    dangerous 
i  among  their  mountains,  they  could  not  for  a  moment  have 


Vi  PREFACE 

stood  against  them  in  the  open  field.  Unhappily  the  general 
was  old  and  infirm,  incapable  of  decision  of  any  kind,  and 
in  his  imbecile  bands  the  troops,  who  in  October  could  have 
met  the  whole  forces  of  Afghanistan  in  fight,  were  kept  in- 
active, while  the  Afghans  pillaged  the  stores  with  the  pro- 
visions for  the  winter,  and  insulted  and  bearded  them  in 
every  way.  Thus  a  fine  body  of  fighting  men  were  reduced 
to  such  depths  of  discontent  and  shame  that  when  the  un- 
worthy order  for  retreat  before  their  exulting  enemy  was 
given  they  had  lost  all  confidence  in  themselves  or  their  offi- 
cers, and,  weakened  by  hunger  and  hampered  by  an  enor- 
mous train  of  camp  followers,  they  went  as  sheep  to  the 
slaughter  in  the  trap  the  Afghans  had  prepared  for  them. 
It  would  almost  seem  that  their  fate  was  a  punishment  for 
the  injustice  of  the  war.  Misfortunes  have  befallen  our 
arms,  but  never  one  so  dark  and  disgraceful  as  this.  The 
shame  of  the  disaster  was  redeemed  only  by  the  heroic  garri- 
son of  Jellalabad,  which,  although  but  one-fourth  of  the 
strength  of  that  at  Cabul,  sallied  out  after  a  noble  defence 
and  routed  the  army  which  Dost  Mahomed's  son  Akbar  had 
assembled  for  their  destruction. 


CONTENTS 


CHAP.  PAGE 

I.  ALONE  IN  THB  WORLD 1 

II.  AN  UNEXPECTED  MEETING 19 

III.  THE  SIEGE  OP  HERAT 36 

IV.  A  STURDY  DEFENCE 54 

V.  IN  CANDAHAR 72 

VI.  AN  ESCAPE 89 

VII.  IN  THE  SERVICE 108 

VIII.  THE  ADVANCE .....  126 

IX.  JOST  IN  TIME 144 

X.  A  MISSION • 161 

XI.  A  DANGEROUS  JOURNEY 180 

XII.  TROUBLES  THICKEN 198 

XIII.  THE  MURDER  OF  SIR  A.  BURNES 216 

XIV.  A  SERIES  OF  BLUNDERS 232 

XV.  A  DOOMED  ARMY 249 

XVI.  ANNIHILATION  OF  THE  ARMY 267 

XVII.  JELLALABAD 286 

XVIII.  THE  ADVANCE  ON  CABUL 301 

XIX.  THE  BRITISH  CAPTIVES  .  .  321 


ILLUSTRATIONS 


ANGUS     AND     POTTINGER     WATCHING     THE    FIGHT    PROM    THM 

WALLS  OF  HERAT Frontispiece 

PAGE 
' '  A  MAN  WALKING  JUST  IN  FRONT  OF   HIM  .  .  .  WAS  KNOCKED 

DOWN " 26 

AZIM  SURPRISES  THE  SPY 96 

"  HB  TOOK  DOWN  THE  PROP,  AND  THRUST  IT  SUDDENLY  WITH 

ALL  HIS  FORCE  THROUGH  THE  HOLE " 150 

"  THERE,  LYING  CLOSE  UNDER  A  ROCK,  WAS  A  YOUNG  AFGHAN  "  166 
"  As  THEY  PASSED  THE  CORNER  .  .  .  SOME  MEN  SPRANG  ON 

THEM" 218 

"ANGUS  WAS  HALF-MAD  WITH  GRIEF  AND  WITH  FURY  THAT 

HE  WAS  NOT  IN  HIS  PLACE  AMONG  THE  TROOPS "  .  .  .  .  272 
ANGUS  SHOWS  HIS  GOODS  TO  THE  PRISONERS  .  330 


MAP  OF  AFGHANISTAN  AND  NORTH-WEST  FRONTIER  OF  INDIA  50 


TO  HERAT  AND  CABUL 


CHAPTEK I 

ALONE  IN  THE  WORLD 

ON  the  20th  of  September,  1837,  a  lad  was  standing 
before  Mr.  M'Neill,  the  British  minister  at  the  Per- 
sian court.  Both  looked  grave,  for  the  interview  was 
an  important  one.  The  former  felt  that  it  was  the  turn- 
ing-point of  his  life,  the  opening  of  a  fresh  career,  the 
introduction  to  a  service  in  which  he  might  gain  honour- 
able distinction  and  credit.  To  the  British  minister  it  was 
of  scarcely  less  importance,  for  the  interests  of  Great  Britain 
were  gravely  involved  in  the  success  of  the  mission  that  he 
was  now  entrusting  to  this  young  clerk  in  the  employment 
of  the  embassy.  It  was  nothing  less  than  thwarting  the 
designs  of  Persia,  aided  and  instigated  by  Russia,  to  cap- 
ture Herat  and  to  conquer  at  least  the  western  portion  of 
Afghanistan,  the  alliance  of  the  princes  of  Candahar  having 
already  been  secured. 

Angus  Campbell  was  now  about  sixteen  years  old.  His 
father  was  a  trader,  who  had  for  twelve  years  been  settled 
in  Tabriz,  carrying  on  business  on  his  own  account  in  some 
branches  of  trade,  and  as  agent  for  a  Scotch  firm  in  others. 
The  boy  had  been  left  with  some  relations  in  Scotland  until 
he  was  twelve  years  old,  when  his  parents  had  paid  a  short 


2  TO  HERAT  AND  CABUI* 

visit  to  their  friends  in  Scotland,  and  had  brought  him 
back  with  them.  The  change  of  life  was  not  an  agreeable 
one  to  him.  In  the  eight  years  that  had  elapsed  since  he 
had  last  seen  his  parents,  he  had,  of  course,  almost  for- 
gotten them,  and  it  would  be  some  time  before  any  real 
affection  for  them  would  spring  up.  It  was  the  companion- 
ship of  his  school-fellows  that  he  missed  rather  than  that  of 
his  aunt,  a  strict  woman,  who  made  no  allowance  whatever 
for  a  boy's  restlessness  and  love  of  fun,  and  who  was  con- 
tinually shocked  by  the  complaints  made  by  members  of 
her  chapel  as  to  the  conduct  of  the  boys  at  Dr.  Murray's. 

It  was  the  principal  school  in  the  little  town.  The  teach- 
ing was  good,  the  application  of  the  rod  frequent,  but  neither 
teaching  nor  thrashing  availed  to  soften  the  manners  of 
the  healthy  and  somewhat  riotous  lads,  who  once  out  of  school 
threw  themselves  with  all  their  hearts  into  their  favourite 
diversions,  among  which  the  most  conspicuous  were  fishing 
in  forbidden  parts  of  the  river,  bird-nesting  in  woods  which 
were  kept  strictly  private  and  guarded  by  keepers,  playing 
hare-and-hounds  across  the  fields  of  the  crustiest  of  farmers, 
and  above  all  engaging  in  desperate  battles  with  the  boys  of 
other  schools.  In  all  these  pastimes  Angus  Campbell  took 
aa  large  a  share  as  his  age  entitled  him  to,  and  the  state 
of  his  clothes  and  his  face  when  he  returned  home  was  a 
source  of  continual  amazement  and  irritation  to  his  aunt. 

She  had  even  endeavoured  to  arrange  for  a  deputation 
to  wait  upon  Dr.  Murray  with  a  list  of  grievances  suffered 
by  the  townspeople,  such  as  broken  windows,  the  yells  and 
shouts  of  conflict,  and  the  destruction  of  the  boys'  garments 
caused  by  the  various  fights,  and  to  propose  that  the  hours 
of  play  should  be  shortened,  and  that  some  sort  of  super- 
vision should  be  exercised  at  all  times  over  the  boys.  How- 
ever, although  there  were  many  who  agreed  with  her  that 
the  present  state  of  things  was  disgraceful,  nothing  came 


ALONE  IN  THE  WORLD 

of  the  movement;  for  the  fathers,  remembering  their  own 
boyhood,  were  to  a  man  against  the  idea. 

"  We  did  just  the  same  in  our  young  days,"  they  said, 
"  and  are  none  the  worse  for  it  now.  Lads  cannot  be  like 
lassies,  and  we  don't  want  them  to  be  even  if  they  could; 
if  you  were  to  speak  to  the  doctor,  he  would  just  laugh  in 
your  faces,  and  would  tell  you  that  he  kept  a  school  for 
boys  and  not  for  girls.  If  you  have  complaints  to  make 
against  any  of  his  scholars,  make  them,  and  he  will  punish 
the  lads  as  they  deserve.  His  boys  are  no  worse  than 
others,  and  he  does  not  wish  to  see  them  better.  If  they 
do  some  mischief  occasionally,  it  is  because  they  are  in 
good  health  and  in  good  spirits,  and  a  lad  of  that  kind  is 
far  more  likely  to  turn  out  well  than  one  who  spends  all 
his  spare  time  in  poring  over  his  books." 

As  the  doctor's  opinions  on  these  subjects  were  known 
to  all  the  town,  Miss  Campbell's  proposal  came  to  nothing. 
She  would  herself  have  gone  to  him  to  complain  of  the 
doings  of  her  nephew,  but  there  was  a  strong  feeling  in 
the  town  that  while  all  things  connected  with  the  school 
were  under  the  doctor's  charge,  parents  should  take  other 
matters  into  their  own  hands,  and  maintain  discipline  by 
the  use  of  the  tawse  in  their  own  dwellings,  and  that 
they  had  no  right  to  trouble  Dr.  Murray  about  private 
delinquencies. 

He  had,  indeed,  sufficient  on  his  hands,  for  although  no 
actual  supervision  was  maintained  when  the  lads  were  once 
dismissed  from  school,  there  were  bounds  set  beyond  which 
they  were  not  allowed  to  go,  and  when  they  were  caught  upon 
any  of  their  frequent  forays  beyond  these  limits,  he  had  to 
adjudicate  and  punish  the  offenders.  But  it  was  not  often 
that  this  happened;  for  while  the  boys  considered  it  not  only 
justifiable  but  meritorious  to  break  bounds,  they  looked  upon 
anyone  caught  in  the  act  of  showing  a  want  of  craft  and 


4  TO  HERAT  AND  CABUL 

of  judgment,  and  so,  having  good  legs  and  lungs,  they  were 
generally  able  to  outdistance  their  pursuers. 

Thus,  then,  when  his  parents  returned  to  Scotland  they 
found  Angus  a  healthy,  active,  and  high-spirited  boy,  some- 
what rough  in  manners,  but  straightforward  and  honourable, 
for  it  was  a  tradition  in  the  school  that  no  boy  should  ever 
try  to  screen  himself  by  a  lie.  When  questioned  by  his 
father,  he  acknowledged  that  he  would  like  to  stay  at  school 
for  a  few  years  longer. 

"And  I  should  like  you  to  do  so  too,  Angus;  but  it  is 
a  long,  long  journey,  and  a  difficult  one,  from  Tabriz  to 
Scotland,  and  it  may  be  many  years  before  I  return  home 
again.  It  is  a  journey  that  it  is  impossible  for  a  boy  to 
make  alone.  But  this  is  not  the  only  reason  why  I  wish 
to  take  you  back.  I  want  to  train  you  to  help  me  in  my 
business,  and  until  you  speak  Persian  fluently  you  will  be 
of  no  use  whatever  to  me.  At  your  age  you  will  pick  it 
up  rapidly,  far  more  rapidly  than  you  could  if  you  did  not 
begin  till  you  were  seventeen  or  eighteen.  We  will  gener- 
ally speak  to  you  in  Persian,  and  you  will  have  many 
opportunities  for  practising  it.  In  two  years  you  ought  to 
speak  it  like  a  native.  Arabic  will  also  be  very  useful  to 
you.  I  have  constant  communications  with  India,  with 
Turkey,  and  with  Herat.  I  buy  goods  from  all  these 
countries;  and  sell  Persian  products  to  them.  In  Afghan- 
istan, indeed,  Persian  is  spoken  generally  by  the  trading 
and  upper  classes ;  but  Arabic  is  essential  to  trade  with  Con- 
stantinople and  Smyrna,  with  Bokhara  and  the  Turkomans; 
and  it  is  our  chief  medium  of  communication  with  India 
traders,  who,  although  speaking  several  distinct  languages, 
all  have  more  or  less  knowledge  of  Arabic.  It  has 
been  a  great  privation  to  your  mother  and  myself  to  be 
so  many  years  without  you.  We  have  no  other  children, 
and  it  would  be  a  great  joy  and  comfort  to  our  lives,  as 


ALONE  IN  THE  WORLD  5 

well  as  a  great  assistance  to  me  in  my  business,  to  have 
you  with  me." 

"I  understand,  Father,"  the  boy  said;  "I  did  not  think 
of  these  things  before.  I  am  sure  I  should  be  very  glad 
to  be  able  to  help  you,  and  I  won't  say  another  word  about 
being1  sorry  to  leave  all  my  friends." 

"It  is  quite  natural  that  you  should  be  sorry,  Angus; 
it  would  be  strange  indeed  if  you  were  not.  However,  I 
don't  think  you  will  dislike  the  life  out  there  when  you 
get  accustomed  to  it.  We  will  certainly  do  our  best  to 
make  you  happy." 

So  Angus  had  returned  with  them,  and  soon  settled  down 
to  his  new  life.  Devoting  himself  earnestly  to  acquiring 
the  language,  at  the  end  of  six  months  he  came  to  speak 
it  fairly,  and  before  he  had  been  out  a  year  could  have 
passed  as  a  Persian  lad;  at  the  same  time  he  had  made 
considerable  progress  in  Arabic.  His  father  had  then  dressed 
him  in  Persian  fashion.  There  was  a  good  deal  of  ill- 
feeling  among  the  lower  class  against  foreigners,  and  the 
pugnacity  that  had  been  fostered  in  Angus  at  school  had 
frequent  opportunities  of  displaying  itself;  for,  in  spite  of 
good  resolutions  to  the  contrary,  he  was  often  goaded  into 
fury  by  the  taunts  and  abuse  with  which  the  boys  assailed 
him  when  he  went  out  alone,  and  had  thrown  himself  upon 
them,  and  used  his  fists  with  such  effect  that  he  had  some- 
times put  to  flight  half  a  dozen  lads  of  his  own  age.  But 
in  Persian  costume  he  could  move  about  the  streets  un- 
noticed; and  although  he  did  not  like  the  change  at  first, 
he  acknowledged  that  it  was  useful,  for  his  father  pointed 
out  to  him  that  it  was  essential  that  nothing  should  take  place 
that  could  add  to  the  dislike  with  which  foreigners  were 
regarded.  Already  several  angry  complaints  had  been  made 
by  neighbours  of  the  state  in  which  their  sons  had  come 
home  after  an  encounter  with  him. 


6  TO  HERAT  AND  CABUL 

Nearly  four  years  after  Angus  arrived  at  Tabriz  the  plag 
made   its   appearance   in   Persia.     It   spread   rapidly,    ai 
Tabriz  was  one  of  the  cities  which  suffered  most  severely.  On 
evening  Mr.   Campbell   returned  home   from   a   visit   to   a 
customer  and  complained  of  feeling  unwell.    The  next  morn- 
ing it  was  too  evident  that  he  had  caught  the  infection. 
Before  nightfall  his  wife  also  sickened.    Twenty-four  hours 
later  both  were  dead.    Mr.  Campbell  had  a  long  talk  with  his 
son  as  soon  as  the  disease  manifested  itself  in  the  case  of 
his  wife. 

"  Angus,"  he  said,  "  you  must  prepare  for  the  worst.  The 
cases  of  recovery  are  few  indeed.  The  servants  have  already 
fled,  and  even  did  I  wish  you  to  leave  us,  I  know  that  it 
would  be  too  late  now.  God's  will  be  done,  my  boy,  and  I 
can  only  hope  that  you  may  be  spared.  However  that  is  in 
His  hands.  You  have  been  my  assistant  now  for  the  past 
three  years,  and  know  how  matters  stand.  I  have  no  debts. 
The  books  will  show  you  how  much  is  due  to  me  from  the 
house  at  home  and  how  much  by  my  agent  at  Bombay.  The 
stock  of  goods  in  the  warehouse  is  worth  a  considerable 
sum.  I  am  unable  to  think  very  clearly  now,  or  to  advise 
you  what  to  do  should  you  be  left  alone;  but  it  is  clear  to 
me  that  you  are  too  young  yet  to  manage  the  business,  and  it 
is  not  likely  that  the  firm  would  entrust  their  affairs  to  a 
lad  of  your  age.  I  should  say,  therefore,  that  you  had  best 
dispose  of  all  the  goods;  the  books  will  show  you  their  prices. 
As  for  yourself,  I  will  give  you  no  advice.  It  will  be  open  to 
you  to  return  to  England  or  to  go  to  Bombay,  and  I  have 
no  doubt  my  agent  there  will  obtain  employment  for  you, 
especially  as  you  will  have  money  to  embark  in  any  business 
you  may  go  into.  But  do  not  invest  a  penny  until  you 
become  of  age ;  you  will  by  that  time  be  able  to  judge  wisely 
whether  the  business  you  are  in  is  that  in  which  you  can 
best  employ  your  mind. 


ALONE  IN  THE  WORLD  7 

"  Whatever  you  do,  do  not  remain  in  Tabriz.  As  is  always 
he  case  in  times  of  plague  or  famine,  there  is  sedition  and 
trouble,  and  foreigners  become  the  object  of  hatred,  for  the 
poor  people  have  some  sort  of  superstitious  idea  that  they  are 
responsible  for  the  scourge.  The  best  thing  you  can  do  is 
to  consult  our  Armenian  friend,  who  is  also  our  vice-consul; 
he  will  view  matters  more  clearly  than  I  can  do  at  present. 
Put  your  trust  always  in  God,  my  boy.  My  own  opinion  is 
that  you  had  better  remain  in  the  East.  Your  knowledge  of 
languages  would  be  absolutely  useless  to  you  at  home,  and 
you  could  only  hope  to  obtain  a  place  in  a  counting-house." 

"  I  will  do  as  you  tell  me,  father,"  Angus  said,  trying  to 
speak  steadily.  "  I  will  try  always  to  be  what  you  would 
wish  me." 

His  grief  was  terrible  when  his  mother  expired  two  or 
three  hours  after  his  father.  He  roused  himself,  however,  to 
see  to  the  simple  preparations  for  their  funeral,  and  late 
that  evening  buried  them  in  the  garden  behind  the  house. 

The  next  day  as  he  was  sitting  alone  he  heard  a  tumult 
in  the  street.  Looking  out,  he  saw  that  several  houses, 
which  he  knew  belonged  to  foreign  traders,  were  in  flames, 
and  a  mob  of  maddened  men  were  rushing  down  the  street 
towards  his  house.  Resistance  would  have  been  madness. 
He  ran  to  the  safe,  seized  the  bag  containing  the  cash,  and 
had  just  time  to  run  out  at  the  back  of  the  house  and 
escape  by  the  gate  in  the  garden  when  the  rioters  burst  in. 

For  a  few  minutes  they  were  engaged  in  the  work  of 
pillage.  Shawls  from  Cashmere,  native  embroidered  silks, 
costly  goods  from  India,  Turkish,  Persian,  Turkoman,  and 
Heratee  carpets,  and  British  goods  of  all  kinds  were  scram- 
bled and  fought  for.  When  the  house  was  sacked  from 
top  to  bottom  it  was  set  on  fire,  and  as  a  volumne  of  emoke 
rose  from  it,  Angus  turned  away  from  the  spot  where  from 
a  distance  he  had  been  watching  the  scene,  and  made  hia 


8  TO  HEBAT  AND  CABUL 

way  to  the  house  of  the  Armenian  merchant.  The  loss  of 
the  house  and  the  contents  of  the  warehouse  affected  him 
little — although  he  knew  that  it  had  cost  him  more  than 
half  his  inheritance — but  this  was  as  nothing  to  what  he 
had  so  recently  suffered. 

The  vice-consul  had  been  an  intimate  friend  of  the  family. 
On  approaching  his  house  Angus  stood  some  distance  from 
the  door  and  called.  A  servant  looked  out.  "  Will  you 
tell  Izaac  effendi  that  I  desire  greatly  to  speak  to  him  ? " 

The  Armenian  quickly  came  to  the  door.  "  My  poor  lad," 
he  said,  "  I  grieve  deeply  for  you.  I  heard  of  your  losses, 
and  the  news  has  just  been  brought  in  of  the  burning  of 
the  house  and  magazine.  But  why  do  you  stand  so  far 


"  Because  I  would  not  bring  contagion  near  you,  effendi. 
I  came  to  tell  you  what  had  happened,  and  to  say  that  I 
shall  buy  some  food  and  go  out  into  the  country,  and  there 
remain  until  I  die  of  the  plague  or  can  be  sure  that  I  have 
escaped  contagion." 

"You  will  come  in  here  at  once,"  the  Armenian  said. 
"  Does  not  one  in  the  street  run  against  persons  who  may 
be  affected.  Many  of  my  compatriots  have  come  here  to 
ask  my  advice,  and  some  of  them  have  stricken  friends  in 
their  houses.  Since  I  came  to  reside  here  I  have  four  times 
seen  the  plague  raging,  and  each  time  it  has  passed  me 
over.  Whether  it  is  the  will  of  God  that  .1  should  thus 
be  spared  I  know  not,  but  I  am  in  His  hands.  Come  in, 
lad,  I  will  take  no  denial.  Shall  I  desert  my  friends  when 
they  most  need  comfort  and  aid?  What  is  my  friendship 
worth  if  I  should,  now  in  your  hour  of  need,  turn  my  back 
upon  you  ?  Come  in,  I  pray  you." 

Seeing  that  the  old  man  was  thoroughly  in  earnest,  Angus, 
too  greatly  touched  by  his  kindness  even  to  speak,  silently 
entered  the  house. 


ALONE  IN  THE  WORLD  9 

"  I  will  take  you  through  at  once  to  the  pavilion  in  the 
garden,"  the  merchant  said.  "  Although  I  have  no  fear  my- 
self, there  are  my  servants  and  clerks.  'Tis  like  enough 
that  some  of  them  may  be  stricken,  for  they,  like  all  of  us, 
are  liable  to  be  smitten  when  they  go  into  the  streets,  and 
should  this  be  so  they  might  blame  me  for  your  presence 
here;  therefore  'tis  best  that  you  should  for  three  or  four 
days  live  in  the  pavilion;  I  will  bring  you  out  cushions  and 
pillows.  But  I  do  not  think  that  you  will  be  attacked;  had 
.you  taken  the  plague  you  would  probably  have  shown  symp- 
toms of  it  ere  now.  Keep  your  thoughts  from  dwelling  on 
it.  I  will  bring  you  out  some  books;  try  to  fix  your  mind 
on  them  and  abstain  as  much  as  possible  from  dwelling  on 
the  past.  I  will  bring  your  food  out  to  you,  and  we  will 
talk  together  to-morrow,  there  is  much  that  you  will  have 
to  consider." 

"  What  are  you  thinking  of  doing  ? "  his  host  asked  him 
when  he  came  in  to  see  him  on  the  morning  after  his  arrival. 

"  I  have  been  trying  to  think,  but  I  cannot  decide  on 
anything.  I  do  not  wish  to  go  back  to  Scotland.  I  have 
an  aunt  living  there,  but  she  would  not  welcome  me  warmly. 
Besides,  if  I  were  to  do  so,  I  do  not  see  how  I  could  earn 
my  living;  for  my  knowledge  of  Persian  and  Arabic  would  be 
of  no  use  to  me.  If  I  had  been  ten  years  older  the  firm  for 
whom  my  father  was  agent  might  have  appointed  me  in  his 
place,  but  of  course  I  am  a  great  deal  too  young  for  that. 
They  acted  as  his  agents  also,  and  bought  for  him  the  goods 
in  which  he  dealt  outside  their  business ;  and  he  told  me  when 
he  was  taken  suddenly  ill  that  they  had  about  a  thousand 
pounds  of  his  money  in  their  hands.  That  would  be  of  no 
use  to  me  now,  and  I  should  very  much  prefer  not  to  touch 
it  until  I  am  old  enough  to  set  up  in  trade." 

"  The  position  is  certainly  a  grave  one,  Angus.  I  agree 
with  you  that  it  would  be  better  for  you  on  all  accounts  to 


TO  HERAT  AND  CABUL 

nain  out  here,  at  any  rate  for  a  time.  Your  father  had 
•respondents  also  in  Bombay,  had  he  not?  ' 
'Yes,  he  made  purchases  of  Persian  goods  for  a  house 
;re;  but  he  did  not  do  much  for  them,  as  the  trade  is 
ncipally  in  the  hands  of  the  Parsees." 
'  There  is  one  thing  that  you  might  do,"  the  Armenian 
d,  after  thinking  for  some  time.  "I  have  heard  that 
Mr.  M'Neill  is  on  his  way  to  Teheran  as  British  minister 
>re.  You  might  be  able  to  obtain  a  post  in  his  Embassy. 
>u  can  write  both  Persian  and  Arabic,  and  might  be  use- 
l  in  many  ways.  It  would  not  be  necessary  for  you  to 
c  a  large  salary,  but,  however  small,  it  might  lead  the 
y  to  better  things.  At  present  there  is  much  political 
turbance.  The  Shah  is  meditating  an  attack  upon  Herat, 
d  has  already  given  orders  for  an  army  to  be  collected, 
rtainly  the  British  government  will  feel  jealous  of  any 
>vement  that  would  extend  the  power  of  Persia  farther 
yards  Afghanistan,  especially  as  they  are,  I  hear,  about 
take  steps  to  interfere  in  that  country  by  placing  a  rival 
Dost  Mahomed  on  the  throne.  Then,  too,  it  is  no  secret 
it  Russia  is  encouraging  the  Shah,  and  it  is  probable  that 
issian  influence  will  become  predominant  in  Persia.  The 
nquest  of  Herat  would  matter  little  to  England  were  it 
Persia  alone,  for  Persia  is  powerless  to  damage  India; 
t  with  Persia  acting  as  the  tool  of  Russia,  which  some 
y  or  other  will  assuredly  swallow  her  up,  the  matter  is 
ry  much  more  serious.  This  being  so,  there  can  be  little 
>ubt  that  the  new  British  minister  will  be  charged  with 
mission  to  counteract  the  designs  of  Russia  as  much  as 
issible,  and  might  be  glad  to  take  into  his  employment 
le  who  knows  the  language  well  and  could  gather  news 
r  him  in  the  guise  of  a  native — for  there  are  so  many 
alects  spoken  in  different  parts  of  the  country  that  any 
iperfection  of  speech  would  pass  unnoticed." 


ALONE  IN  THE  WORLD  1 

"I  think  that  would  be  an  excellent  plan,  sir,  if  it  coul 
be  carried  out." 

"  I  will  give  you  a  letter  stating  the  circumstances,  speai 
ing  of  the  esteem  in  which  your  father  was  held,  and  voucl] 
ing  for  your  character.  If  you  decide  to  take  this  course, 
think  it  would  be  well  for  you  to  leave  at  once,  for  fror 
what  I  hear  of  the  new  minister's  course  you  would  the: 
arrive  at  Teheran  within  two  or  three  days  of  his  gettin 
there,  and  might  have  a  better  chance,  therefore,  of  obtain 
ing  a  post  in  his  office.  As  to  the  money  you  speak  of,  i 
seems  to  me  that,  as  your  country  is  a  long  way  off,  it  woul 
be  better  if  it  could  be  sent  to  the  house  with  which  you 
father  had  dealings  at  Bombay,  since  there  are  constant! 
vessels  sailing  thither  from  ports  in  the  Persian  Gulf;  an 
whether  you  saw  an  opportunity  for  doing  a  trade  with  Indij 
or  thought  of  going  there  yourself,  it  would  be  an  advantag 
to  have  your  money  ready  to  your  hand.  You  must  alread 
know  a  good  deal  of  trade  matters,  having,  as  I  knov 
worked  as  your  father's  assistant  for  the  past  two  year: 
At  any  rate  a  year  or  two  at  Teheran  in  the  service  of  th 
British  minister  would  be  an  advantage  to  you  in  man 
respects.  There  is  a  caravan  starting  to-morrow,  that  i 
why  I  suggested  that  you  should  leave  at  once.  A  merchar 
who  travels  with  it  is  a  friend  of  mine,  and  I  can  recon 
mend  you  to  his  care,  but  it  would  certainly  be  best  fc 
you  to  travel  as  a  native." 

"  I  thank  you,  sir,  very  heartily,  and  shall  certainly  d 
as  you  advise  me,  for  as  an  English  lad  going  alone  wit 
a  caravan  I  could  scarcely  hope  to  escape  trouble  with  came' 
drivers  and  others.  If  I  fail  to  obtain  employment  at  th 
Embassy,  I  shall  probably  travel  down  with  a  caravan  t 
Bushire,  and  take  ship  to  Bombay.  I  have  plenty  of  mone 
to  do  that,  for  the  expense  of  travelling  with  a  caravan  i 
very  small — nothing  is  needed  except  for  food — and  the  pas 


12  TO  HERAT  AND  CABUL 

sage  in  a  native  craft  would  not  be  more  than  a  pound  or 
two.  I  have  nearly  two  hundred,  so  that  I  could  live  for  a 
long  time  in  Bombay  if  I  failed  to  obtain  employment  there. 
When  it  is  gone,  I  could  at  least  enlist  in  one  of  the  British 
regiments." 

"It  is  a  poor  trade  soldiering,  lad,  though  in  your  case 
it  might  not  do  you  harm  for  a  few  years,  especially  if 
you  turned  your  attention  to  learning  some  of  the  Indian 
languages.  With  such  knowledge  you  should  certainly  have 
no  difficulty  in  making  your  way  with  the  little  capital  you 
will  receive  from  home." 

And  so  it  was  settled,  and  Angus  travelled  to  Teheran. 
The  journey  did  him  good.  He  had  bought  a  donkey,  and 
trotting  along  by  the  side  of  the  merchant  to  whom  his 
friend  had  introduced  him,  the  novelty  of  the  life,  the 
strangeness  of  passing  as  a  native  among  the  travellers,  and 
the  conversation  of  the  Persian  merchant  kept  him  from 
brooding  over  his  sorrows.  He  felt  that,  suddenly  thrown  as 
he  was  upon  his  own  resources,  and  compelled  to  think  and 
act  for  himself,  when  but  a  fortnight  before  he  had  others 
to  think  and  care  for  him,  he  must  bear  himself  like  a  man. 
It  was  only  at  night,  when  rolled  in  a  blanket  he  prepared 
to  sleep,  that  he  gave  way  and  lay  for  hours  weeping  over 
his  loss. 

The  merchant,  who  had  been  much  pleased  with  his  con- 
versation, and  had  made  many  enquiries  as  to  the  ways  of 
his  countrymen,  and  to  whom  he  had  told  his  plans,  invited 
Angus  to  take  up  his  abode  with  him  at  a  khan  until  he 
found  whether  he  could  obtain  employment  at  the  British 
minister's.  Issuing  into  the  town,  after  having  seen  his 
animals  attended  to  and  his  goods  stowed  away,  the  merchant 
went  to  see  some  friends,  and  on  his  return  told  Angus  that 
the  new  British  minister  had  arrived  two  days  before.  The 
next  morning  Angus  went  to  the  envoy's,  and  sent  in  the 


ALONE  IN  THE  WORLD  13 

letter  with  which  the  Armenian  had  furnished  him,  together 
with  the  translation  which  he  had  made  and  the  vice-consul 
had  signed  and  stamped.  He  had  not  waited  many  minutes 
when  one  of  the  attendants  came  to  him  and  led  him  in 
to  the  minister's  room. 

"  You  are  Mr.  Campbell,  the  young  gentleman  of  whom 
our  vice-consul  at  Tabriz  writes  to  me  ? " 

"  Yes,  sir." 

"  It  is  a  sad  story  that  he  has  told  me,  and  I  would  will- 
ingly do  anything  in  my  power  for  a  young  countryman 
thus  left  so  sadly  and  suddenly  on  his  own  resources  in  a 
foreign  land.  He  tells  me  that  you  speak  Arabic  as  well 
as  Persian,  and  have  some  acquaintance  with  Armenian 
colloquially,  though  you  cannot  write  it  as  you  can  the  two 
former  languages.  Do  you  know  any  other  language  at 
all?" 

"I  know  some  Kurdish.  One  of  my  father's  porters  was 
a  Kurd,  and  I  was  able  to  get  on  fairly  with  him." 

"  He  tells  me  that  it  is  your  wish  to  obtain  employment 
of  some  sort  with  me,  as  at  present  you  are  not  old  enough 
to  enter  upon  trade  for  yourself,  and  that  you  do  not  wish 
to  return  to  Scotland." 

"  No,  sir.  I  have  been  away  for  four  years,  and  were  I 
to  go  back  I  should  lose  the  advantage  that  I  have  gained  in 
learning  these  Eastern  languages." 

"  Quite  right ;  very  sensibly  decided,"  the  minister  said. 
"  And  I  suppose  that  you  know  something  of  trade  ?  " 

"  Yes,  sir,  my  father  took  much  pains  in  instructing  me, 
and  for  the  past  two  years  I  have  acted  as  his  assistant,  and 
have  learned  the  value  of  most  articles  of  trade." 

The  minister  nodded. 

"Very  good;  it  will  doubtless  be  of  value  to  you  here- 
after. However,  I  can  at  present  utilize  your  services  here. 
I  have  with  me  my  secretary,  and  I  have  the  dragoman 


14  TO  HEBAT  AND  CABUL 

employed  by  my  predecessor,  who  speaks  half  a  dozen  lan- 
guages ;  but  in  many  ways  a  sharp  young  fellow  like  yourself, 
able  if  necessary  to  mix  with  the  people  as  one  of  them- 
selves, and  to  gather  me  information  as  to  popular  opinion, 
and  who  can  read  and  write  Persian  fluently,  would  be  a 
welcome  addition  to  my  staff.  Of  course  I  cannot  offer  you 
high  pay,  as  I  have  an  allowance  for  the  expenses  of  my 
office  upon  the  same  scale  as  that  of  my  predecessor." 

"  The  pay  is  quite  a  secondary  matter  with  me,  sir.  Even 
if  there  were  no  pay,  I  should  be  glad  to  accept  a  temporary 
post  under  you,  as  it  would  be  a  great  advantage  to  me  after- 
wards to  have  been  employed  by  you,  and  I  should  at  least 
have  time  to  decide  what  to  do  next." 

"I  will  thfck  the  matter  over,"  the  minister  said;  "at 
any  rate  there  will  be  a  room  assigned  to  you  in  the  house, 
and  for  the  present  thirty  shillings  a  week  for  your  living. 
You  had  better  continue  to  wear  your  Persian  attire.  Have 
you  European  clothes  with  you  ? " 

"  No,  sir,  everything  was  burnt." 

The  next  day  Angus  was  installed  in  a  small  room  next 
to  that  of  the  secretary,  and  set  to  work  translating  Persian 
proclamations,  edicts,  and  other  matters.  A  fortnight  later 
the  minister  decided  that  he  should  be  dressed  as  a  European 
when  in  the  house,  and  a  tailor  was  sent  for  and  ordered 
to  make  him  clothes  of  the  same  style  as  a  suit  of  the 
secretary's,  which  was  given  him  to  use  as  a  pattern.  The 
minister  nodded  approvingly  when  he  entered  the  little 
office  on  the  day  when  Angus  first  wore  his  new  suit.  His 
work  was  now  changed,  and  while  visitors  of  distinction  were 
ushered  in  directly  to  the  minister,  and  others  of  less  im- 
portance were  first  interviewed  by  the  secretary,  people 
coming  in  with  complaints  or  petitions  were  shown  in  to 
Angus,  who  took  down  what  they  had  to  say,  and  then 
dismissed  them  to  call  the  next  day  for  an  answer.  He  was 


ALONE  IN  THE  WORLD  15 

amused  at  the  general  impression  prevailing  among  these 
people  that  if  the  British  minister  could  be  induced  to  take 
up  their  cases  he  could  obtain  justice  and  redress  for  them, 
and  how  evidently  they  disbelieved  his  assurances  that  a 
foreign  official  could  not  interfere  in  such  matters. 

Six  months  passed,  the  Shah  had  started  with  his  army 
towards  Herat,  and  the  evidences  that  Russia  was  at  the 
bottom  of  the  movement,  and  that  he  was  acting  in  accord- 
ance with  her  advice,  became  stronger  and  stronger.  Angus 
stood  high  in  the  minister's  good  opinion,  from  the  steadi- 
ness with  which  he  worked,  the  tact  and  good  temper  that 
he  showed  with  the  natives  he  interviewed,  and  the  willing- 
ness with  which  he  would,  after  the  office  was  closed,  work 
until  late  at  night  at  his  translations.  Sometimes  he  changed 
his  attire  again,  and  slightly  darkening  his  face,  and  tucking 
away  his  light  hair,  would  go  out  into  the  streets,  mingle 
with  the  crowd  in  busy  quarters,  and  listen  to  the  talk. 
From  the  fact  that  the  expedition  against  Herat  was  seldom 
spoken  of,  he  gathered  that  the  war  was  not  popular  except 
among  the  trading1  class,  who  thought  that  the  possession  of 
Herat  would  lead  to  a  large  increase  of  trade  with  Afghan- 
istan, and  even  through  Candahar  to  Northern  India.  It 
was,  however,  but  seldom  that  he  went  on  these  expeditions, 
for  it  was  certain  that  any  private  arrangement  that  had 
been  made  between  the  Shah  and  Russia  would  be  known 
only  to  two  of  the  former's  principal  officers. 

One  evening  Mr.  M'Neill  summoned  him  to  his  own  apart- 
ment, and  said :  "  I  have  obtained  information  from  a  source 
I  can  rely  upon  that  Russia  is  encouraging  the  Shah,  and 
that  there  are  other  Russian  officers  besides  their  accredited 
envoy  in  the  Shah's  camp.  Mr.  Corbould  started  half  an  hour 
ago,  and  will  carry  the  news  himself  to  London;  it  is  too 
important  to  be  trusted  to  other  hands.  I  have  no  doubt 
whatever  that  orders  will  be  sent  to  me  at  once  to  mediate 


16  TO  HERAT  AND  CAEUL 

between  the  parties,  and  to  put  a  certain  amount  of  pressure 
upon  the  Shah.  Herat  is  considered  the  key  of  Afghanistan, 
and  although  we  could  do  nothing  to  assist  its  defenders,  even 
were  a  force  to  start  at  once  from  Bombay,  I  fancy  that  I 
should  be  authorized  to  say  to  the  Shah  that  England  would 
greatly  resent  the  town  being  permanently  occupied ;  and  that 
she  might  even  go  so  far  as  to  blockade  the  ports  on  the 
Persian  Gulf,  and  so  put  a^stop  to  the  whole  trade  of  Persia 
with  India.  The  great  question,  of  course,  is  how  long  Herat 
can  hold  out  against  the  Persians.  The  place  has  the  repu- 
tation of  being  strong,  but  I  hear  that  the  fortifications 
are  much  dilapidated.  The  Afghans  are  likely  to  fight  well 
up  to  a  certain  point,  but  they  might,  and  probably  would, 
get  disheartened  after  a  time.  I  am  anxious  to  assure  them 
that  if  they  will  but  hold  out,  England  will  do  all  in  her 
power  to  induce  the  Persians  to  give  up  the  siege.  The 
messenger  I  send  must  at  once  be  altogether  trustworthy, 
must  be  able  to  make  his  way  through  the  country  as  a 
native,  and  must  have  a  sufficient  knowledge  of  Arabic  to 
make  himself  understood  there,  although  this  is  less  impor- 
tant, as  there  must  be  many  traders  in  the  town  who  under- 
stand Persian." 

"  If  you  would  entrust  me  with  the  message,  sir,  I  would 
gladly  undertake  to  carry  it  to  Herat." 

"  That  was  my  purpose  in  sending  for  you,  Mr.  Campbell. 
I  have  the  greatest  confidence  in  you,  and  as  your  Persian 
is  good  enough  to  pass  in  Teheran,  it  is  certainly  good  enough 
for  the  country  districts.  But  it  is  not  only  because  I  should 
trust  you  thoroughly,  and  have  every  faith  in  your  being  able 
to  carry  out  the  mission,  but  also  because  I  thought  that 
it  would  be  of  great  utility  to  you  to  be  engaged  in  the 
performance  of  such  a  mission.  If  Herat  defends  itself  suc- 
cessfully until  relieved  either  by  Afghan  troops,  or  as  a 
result  of  our  diplomacy,  it  will  undoubtedly  be  a  feather  in 

(M807) 


ALONE  IN  THE  WORLD  17 

the  cap  of  the  gentleman  I  select  to  undertake  the  commission 
of  encouraging  the  Pleratees  to  hold  out;  and,  with  my  report 
of  the  valuable  services  that  you  have  rendered  here,  might 
obtain  for  you  a  better  position  in  the  diplomatic  service  than 
I  can  offer  you,  or  some  post  in  India  where  your  knowledge 
of  Persian  and  Arabic  would  be  valuable." 

"  I  thank  you  very  much  indeed,  sir.  The  change  to  an 
active  life  would  not  only  be  very  pleasant  to  me,  but  I  can 
quite  understand  that  if  good  comes  of  it  I  might  benefit 
greatly.  Would  you  wish  me  to  return  as  soon  as  I  have 
delivered  your  message  ?  " 

"  No,  I  think  it  would  be  better  for  you  to  remain  there. 
I  myself  will  shortly  join  the  Shah  in  his  camp;  the  office 
here  will  be  closed." 

On  the  following  day  Angus  started.  The  back  of  his 
head  having  been  shaved,  his  hair  was  completely  covered 
by  his  turban.  He  wore  wide  Turkish  trousers,  a  loosely 
fitting  blue  embroidered  vest,  and  a  long  kaftan  thickly 
padded  and  falling  below  his  knees,  a  coloured  sash,  with 
two  long-barrelled  pistols,  and  a  curved  sword.  His  attire 
was  that  of  a  Persian  trader.  He  rode  on  a  camel,  which, 
although  not  a  handsome  animal  to  look  at,  was  of  good 
blood  and  fast.  Slung  over  his  shoulder  was  a  long  match- 
lock; he  carried  behind  him  a  great  bale  of  goods.  Accom- 
panying him  was  a  Persian  boy,  whose  father  was  a  door- 
keeper at  the  mission;  the  boy  himself  was  a  hanger-on 
there.  He  was  a  bright-faced  lad  of  some  fifteen  years  old, 
who  ran  messages,  and  made  himself  generally  useful.  Be- 
tween him  and  Angus  a  sort  of  friendship  had  sprung  up, 
and  of  an  evening  when  the  latter  went  out  he  often  took 
the  boy  with  him,  his  shrewdness  and  chatter  being  a  relief 
after  a  long  day's  work  in  the  office. 

Azim  had  accepted  with  delight  Angus's  proposal  that  he 
should  accompany  him,  as  his  attendant,  on  a  journey  that 

(M807)  B 


18  TO  HERAT  AND  CABUL 

he  was  about  to  make.  The  matter  was  settled  in  a  few 
minutes,  a  donkey  purchased  for  him,  suitable  clothes  for 
travel,  and  a  couple  of  Kurd  blankets.  Angus  himself  had 
a  large  fur-lined  coat  reaching  to  his  feet,  and  four  blankets, 
two  of  which  were  of  very  large  size  and  capable  of  being 
made  into  a  tent,  for  he  knew  that  the  khans  and  the  houses 
in  the  villages  swarmed  with  insects,  and  was  determined 
that,  unless  circumstances  prevented  it,  he  would  always 
encamp  in  the  open  air.  Azim's  camel  carried,  in  addition 
to  a  bale  of  goods,  two  water-skins,  a  sufficient  supply  of 
flour  for  the  journey,  a  bag  of  ground  coffee,  and  another 
of  sugar;  meat  would  always  be  procurable. 

It  was  a  long  journey,  but  Angus  enjoyed  it.  The  road 
was  a  frequented  one,  for  a  considerable  trade  was  carried 
on  between  Herat  and  Persia,  and  traders  frequently  passed 
along.  Azim  turned  out  a  bright  and  intelligent  companion, 
and  no  suspicion  was  anywhere  entertained  that  Angus  was 
aught  but  what  he  seemed.  Some  little  surprise,  however, 
was  occasionally  expressed  that  he  should  be  making1  the 
journey  at  a  time  when  the  Persian  army  was  marching 
against  Herat.  To  such  remarks  he  always  replied  that  he 
should  probably  stay  there  but  a  few  days,  and  hoped  to  be 
well  on  the  road  to  Candahar  before  the  army  arrived  at 
Herat.  He  was  certain  that  he  should  arrive  in  time,  for 
the  army  with  its  huge  baggage  train  had  already  taken 
nearly  six  months  in  accomplishing  a  journey  that  he  had 
performed  in  little  over  as  many  weeks. 


AN  UNEXPECTED  MEETING  19 

CHAPTER  H 

AN    UNEXPECTED    MEETING 

WHEN  near  the  frontier  Angus  sold  the  camels.  He 
had  already  parted  with  all  the  goods  that  he  had 
carried,  and  he  now  bought  peasant  dresses,  such  as  those 
worn  by  the  Afghan  cultivators,  for  himself  and  Azim.  It 
was  but  some  seventy  miles  on  to  Herat,  but  the  Persian 
army  was  on  the  direct  road,  having  just  laid  siege  to  Ghor- 
ian,  and  it  was  necessary  to  make  a  detour  to  avoid  both 
the  plundering  parties  of  the  Persians  and  the  Afghan  horse- 
men who  would  be  hovering  round  the  enemy's  camp.  Be- 
fore crossing  the  frontier  he  purchased  sufficient  food  to 
last  for  four  days,  as  it  would  be  dangerous  to  enter  any 
place  where  they  might  be  accosted,  as  their  ignorance  of 
the  language  would  seem  to  prove  that  they  were  Persian 
spies. 

Both  carried  swords  and  long  knives,  as  a  protection 
rather  from  the  attacks  of  village  dogs  than  from  trouble 
with  men.  As  it  was  now  November  and  the  weatHer  was 
becoming  cold  at  night,  they  were  glad  of  the  long  coats 
lined  with  sheep-skin.  The  country  through  which  they  were 
passing  was  fertile,  and  when  on  the  afternoon  of  the  third 
day  they  came  in  sight  of  Herat,  even  Azim  was  struck 
with  the  richness  and  fertility  of  the  country.  It  was  well 
watered  by  several  small  streams;  fortified  villages  were 
scattered  here  and  there  over  the  plain.  Round  these  were 
gardens,  orchards,  and  vineyards,  the  intervening  spaces 
being  in  summer  covered  by  wide  expanses  of  corn.  As 
they  neared  the  city  they  saw  that  numbers  of  people  from 
the  villages  were  making  their  way  towards  it,  many  with 
bullock  waggons  carrying  stores  of  grain  and  household 


20  TO  HERAT  AND  CABUL 

goods,  while  women  and  men  were  alike  loaded.  They  en- 
tered the  gate  of  the  city  unquestioned  and  unnoticed  in  the 
crowd  of  horse  and  footmen,  cattle,  bullock-carts,  sheep,  and 
goats. 

Striking  as  was  the  appearance  of  the  town  without,  inside 
everything  showed  signs  of  neglect  and  poverty.  Herat  con- 
tained some  forty-five  thousand  inhabitants;  the  majority  of 
these  were  Persian  Sheeahs.  Once  the  capital  of  the  great 
empire  of  Tamerlane,  it  had  greatly  fallen  from  its  former 
splendour,  its  decline  having  been  rapid  since  its  capture 
from  the  Persians  by  the  Afghans  in  1715.  It  had  been 
retaken  by  the  Persians,  and  recaptured  by  the  Afghans, 
under  whose  savage  rule  its  prosperity  had  greatly  diminished. 
It  was  still  an  important  trading  centre,  being  situated  on 
the  one  great  thoroughfare  between  India  and  Russia,  and 
being  celebrated  for  the  beauty  of  its  carpets  and  for  the 
temper  of  its  sword-blades.  Its  trade  was  principally  in  the 
hands  of  Hindoos,  who  numbered  no  fewer  than  a  thousand, 
some  of  whom  were  traders,  while  others  were  occupied  in 
the  various  branches  of  work  to  which  they  had  been  ac- 
customed in  India.  There  were  several  families  of  Ar- 
menians and  a  few  Jews. 

The  city  had  for  years  suffered  under  the  horrible  tyranny 
of  Shah  Kamran,  now  an  old  and  feeble  man,  and  of  his 
wuzeer  or  minister,  Yar  Mahomed  Khan,  who  held  the  post 
of  governor  of  the  city.  Under  these  men  neither  life  nor 
property  was  respected ;  men  and  women  were  seized  and  sold 
into  slavery  ijnder  the  smallest  pretext,  often  without  any 
attempt  whatever  to  justify  the  action.  Armed  bands  of 
ruffians  broke  into  the  houses  and  plundered  at  their  will, 
and  the  peaceful  portion  of  the  population  were  in  a  state 
of  utter  misery  and  despair. 

On  entering  the  gate,  Angus  proceeded  along  the  bazaar, 
an  arched  street  about  a  mile  long,  which  extended  from 


AN  UNEXPECTED  MEETING  21 

one  side  of  the  city  to  the  other.  This  was  crossed  at  right 
angles  by  another  bazaar  of  equal  length,  and  the  city,  which 
was  built  in  the  form  of  a  square,  was  thus  divided  into  four 
quarters.  Round  the  wall  was  a  wide  ditch,  which  was  at 
all  times  kept  full  of  water  from  springs  rising  in  the  town. 

When  he  had  proceeded  some  distance,  Angus  heard  two 
traders  in  one  of  the  shops  speaking  in  Armenian.  He  at 
once  entered.  "  Effendi,"  he  said  in  that  language,  "  I  am 
a  stranger  here  and  but  newly  arrived.  Can  you  tell  me 
where  I  can  procure  a  lodging  ? " 

The  two  men  looked  in  surprise  at  this  Afghan  peasant 
who  addressed  them  in  their  own  tongue,  and  one  of  them, 
after  a  moment's  hesitation,  bade  him  come  into  his  private 
apartment  behind  the  shop. 

"  Who  are  you  ? "  he  said ;  "  and  how  come  you  to  speak 
our  language  ? " 

"  I  learned  it  in  conversation  with  some  of  your  people 
in  Tabriz,  and  especially  from  one  who  was  the  British  vice- 
consul  there.  I  also  speak  Persian  and  Arabic." 

The  trader's  surprise  increased  as  Angus  spoke.  "  But 
who  are  you,  then,  who  have  travelled  so  far,  and  how  is  it 
that  having  learned  so  many  languages  you  are  now  here  as 
a  peasant  ? " 

"  It  is  a  disguise,"  Angus  said.  "  My  father  was  a  British 
merchant  at  Tabriz,  and  I  myself  am  in  the  service  of  the 
British  minister  at  Teheran,  and  am  the  bearer  of  a  letter 
from  him  to  Shah  Kamran." 

"  You  are  young  indeed,  my  son,  to  be  engaged  on  so 
difficult  and  dangerous  a  mission.  Surely  I  can  find  you  a 
lodging.  All  trade  is  at  a  stand-still  now,  and  we  Armenians 
suffer  like  the  rest.  My  brother,  whom  you  saw  in  the  shop, 
is  a  weaver  of  carpets;  but  none  will  buy  carpets  now.  He 
has  a  house  larger  than  his  needs,  and  would,  I  am  sure,  gladly 
take  you  in." 


22  TO  HERAT  AND  CABUL 

He  called  his  brother  in  from  the  front,  and  explained  to 
him  who  this  strange  visitor  was  and  what  he  wanted. 

"I  have  money,"  Angus  said,  "and  am  prepared  to  pay 
well  for  my  accommodation.  I  have  a  servant  with  me,  he 
is  the  son  of  a  door-keeper  at  the  embassy,  and  is  altogether 
faithful  and  trustworthy.  Unfortunately,  I  do  not  speak 
the  Afghan  tongue." 

"  That  will  matter  little  in  the  town ;  the  majority  of  the 
people  still  speak  Persian,  although  they  may  know  Pushtoo. 
It  is  the  same  with  many  of  the  fugitives  who  have  come 
in  from  the  plain.  You  will  have  difficulty  in  seeing  the 
prince.  He  is  old  and  feeble,  and  for  the  greater  part  of 
his  time  he  is  drunk.  Everything  is  therefore  in  the  hands 
of  the  wuzeer,  who  is  one  of  the  worst  of  men — cruel, 
avaricious,  and  unscrupulous.  We  have  had  many  tyrants, 
but  he  is  the  worst;  and  I  can  assure  you  that  the  success 
of  the  Persians  would  fill  all  but  the  Afghan  portion  of  the 
population  with  the  deepest  joy.  It  will  be  necessary  for 
you  to  see  him  first  before  you  see  Shah  Kamran.  The 
hour  is  getting  late,  and  I  shall  close  my  shop  shortly.  If 
you  will  go  round  with  my  brother  to  his  house  I  will  join 
you  there  presently.  We  all  love  and  respect  the  English. 
They  have  always  been  our  good  friends,  and  glad  indeed 
should  we  be  were  they  masters  here  as  they  are  in  India; 
for  I  have  been  there,  and  know  how  just  is  their  rule — 
how  they  oppress  no  one,  and  will  not  suffer  others  to  do 
so.  This  would  be  a  happy  city  indeed  if  your  people  were 
our  masters." 

A  short  walk  brought  Angus  and  Azim  to  the  house  of 
the  carpet-weaver.  It  was  of  some  size,  but  bore  a  neglected 
and  poverty-stricken  aspect,  which  was  not  belied  by  its 
appearance  when  they  entered.  The  doors  stood  open,  and 
it  could  be  seen  that  looms  stood  idle  now  in  all  the  rooms. 
The  man  led  the  way  upstairs,  and  unlocking  a  door  there 


AN  UNEXPECTED  MEETING  23 

entered  the  family  apartments.  The  contrast  between  these 
and  the  floor  below  was  great  indeed.  Afghan  carpets 
covered  the  passages  and  floors,  well-stuffed  divans  ran 
round  the  rooms,  and  although  there  were  no  signs  of 
wealth,  everything  pointed  to  comfort.  The  Armenian  led 
them  into  a  room,  where  his  wife  and  two  daughters  were 
seated.  They  rose  in  some  surprise  at  seeing  him  enter 
accompanied  by  an  Afghan  peasant.  Azim  had  remained 
in  the  passage  without. 

"Do  not  be  surprised,"  the  trader  said;  "this  person  is 
not  what  he  looks,  but  is  an  English  effendi,  the  bearer  of 
a  letter  from  his  minister  at  Teheran  to  Shah  Kamran.  He 
is  going  to  do  us  the  honour  to  lodgte  here  for  a  time.  He 
speaks  our  language  as  well  as  Persian." 

"  He  is  welcome,"  his  wife  said  courteously ;  "  and  indeed 
his  presence  here  will  afford  us  a  protection  which  we  shall 
need  more  than  ever  when  the  passions  of  the  people  are 
excited  by  the  siege." 

"As  you  are  accustomed  to  our  ways,"  the  husband  said, 
"  you  will  not  be  surprised  at  my  bringing  you  in  here  or 
at  seeing  the  women  unveiled.  As  a  rule,  everywhere  in 
the  East  we  adopt  the  customs  of  the  country  so  far  that 
our  women  veil  when  they  go  out,  and  my  wife  and  daughters 
would  do  the  same  here  if  they  were  to  walk  through  the 
streets.  But  my  daughters  have  not  left  the  house  since 
they  were  children;  my  wife  has  not  done  so  since  we  took 
up  our  abode  here  twenty-three  years  ago." 

Angus  uttered  an  exclamation  of  surprise. 

"  You  would  not  be  astonished  if  you  knew  the  lawless- 
ness that  prevails  here.  No  young  woman  can  venture 
safely  into  the  streets,  for  as  soon  as  a  report  that  she  was 
good-looking  reached  Kamran  she  would  be  seized  and  car- 
ried off  to  his  harem  even  in  broad  daylight.  No  respectable 
woman  would  think  of  going  out  save  with  an  armed  escort." 


24  TO  HERAT  AND  CABUL 

"That  is  indeed  a  terrible  state  of  things." 

"We  are  accustomed  to  it  now,  effendi,  and  at  any  rate 
we  are  not  molested  here.  I  make  a  present  now  and  then 
to  Yar  Mahomed  Khan  and  also  to  his  principal  officer,  and 
I  am  let  alone  by  them.  My  brother  does  the  same.  They 
know  that  I  am  a  carpet-weaver  employing  eight  or  ten 
men,  and  as  they  believe  I  could  not  be  squeezed  to  any 
large  amount,  they  are  satisfied  to  let  us  go  on.  So  as  long 
as  we  keep  quietly  at  home  we  are  not  molested,  and  we 
both  intend  ere  long  to  move  from  here  to  Teheran  or 
Tabriz.  We  have  only  been  waiting  until  we  can  manage 
to  get  away  with  our  belongings  without  attracting  notice. 
We  have  done  very  well  since  we  came  here,  for  trade  has 
been  good.  My  brother  buys  up  the  products  of  many 
other  looms,  and  we  have  both  made  good  profits, . 
but  we  take  care  that  we  do  not  keep  more  money  than 
is  necessary  here.  Now  I  will  show  you  the  room  that 
will  be  at  your  disposal.  You  will,  I  hope,  join  us  at  our 
family  meals,  so  that  we  shall  not  have  to  cook  for  you 
separately." 

"  Certainly,  it  would  be  very  much  more  pleasant  for 
me." 

The  terms  were  arranged  without  difficulty,  for  the  Ar- 
menian felt  that  it  might  be  a  great  protection  for  them  to 
have  an  Englishman  in  the  house.  The  merchant  then  ar- 
ranged to  obtain  a  dress  for  Angus  similar  to  that  worn 
by  himself  and  his  brother.  This  was  brought  in  on  the 
following  morning.  Having  put  it  on,  Angus  went  out  ac- 
companied by  Azim.  He  decided  to  wait  for  a  day  or  two 
before  seeing  the  wuzeer,  so  as  to  ascertain  the  state  of 
things  in  the  town  and  the  preparations  for  defence.  He 
was  going  through  one  of  the  narrow  streets  when  a  loaded 
camel  came  along  behind  him,  its  paniers  nearly  touching 
the  houses  on  each  side.  Its  rider  did  not  give  the  usual 


AN  UNEXPECTED  MEETING  25 

shout  of  warning,  and  Angus  had  but  just  time  to  jump 
into  a  doorway  when  it  brushed  past  him,  the  Afghan 
driver  grinning  maliciously  at  so  nearly  upsetting  one  whom 
he  regarded  as  a  Sheeah  trader.  A  man  walking  just  in 
front  of  him,  who  was  not  quick  enough  to  get  out  of  the 
camel's  way,  was  knocked  down.  As  he  got  up  Angus  to 
his  astonishment  heard  him  mutter  angrily,  "  Confound 
you!  I  wish  I  had  you  outside  this  town,  I  would  give  you 
a  lesson  you  would  not  forget ! "  Astonished  to  find  another 
Englishman  here  in  Afghan  costume,  Angus  stepped  up  to 
him  and  said,  "  I  did  not  expect  to  find  an  Englishman  here, 
sir." 

The  other  turned  sharply  round.  "  I  am  as  surprised  as 
you  can  be,  sir!  But  we  had  better  not  be  speaking  English 
here.  I  am  lodging  within  fifty  yards  of  this,  if  you  will 
follow  me  I  will  take  you  there,  and  we  can  then  introduce 
ourselves  properly." 

In  three  minutes  they  were  in  the  room  occupied  by  the 
stranger.  "As  host  I  will  inlroduce  myself  first,"  he  said 
with  a  smile.  "  My  name  is  Eldred  Pottinger ;  I  have  been 
travelling  through  Afghanistan  on  an  unofficial  mission  to 
explore  and  report  on  the  country  to  my  uncle,  Colonel  Pot- 
tinger, Resident  in  Scinde.  Happening  to  arrive  here  at  the 
present  crisis,  and  thinking  that  I  might  be  useful  if  the 
city  is  besieged,  I  have  declared  myself  to  the  wuzeer,  and 
although  I  still  retain  my  disguise  there  are  many  who  know 
that  I  am  an  Englishman." 

"  My  name  is  Angus  Campbell,  Mr.  Pottinger.  I  am  in 
the  employment  of  the  British  minister  at  Teheran,  and  am 
the  bearer  of  a  letter  from  him  to  Shah  Kamran  encourag- 
ing him  to  maintain  the  defence  of  the  city  as  long  as  pos- 
sible, and  holding  out  hopes  that  the  British  government, 
which  would  view  the  attack  upon  Herat  with  grave  dissatis- 
faction, will  endeavour  to  mediate  between  him  and  the  Shah, 


26  TO  HERAT  AND  CABUL 

and  may  even  take  measures  to  put  pressure  upon  the  latter 
to  withdraw  his  forces." 

"  That  is  very  satisfactory.  Of  course  I  have  had  no 
shadow  of  authority  to  speak  in  that  way,  and  could  only 
assure  him  generally  that  he  would  have  the  good  will  of  the 
English,  and  that  as  an  English  officer  I  would  on  my  own 
part  put  any  military  skill  that  I  possess  at  his  service,  and, 
being  myself  an  artillery  officer,  might  be  of  considerable 
assistance  to  him  in  the  management  and  working  of  the 
guns.  But  your  letter  will  place  me  in  a  more  favourable 
position.  What  are  your  instructions?  Are  you  going  to 
return  to  the  embassy  or  remain  here  ? " 

"Mr.  M'Neill  left  it  to  myself.  He  will  join  the  Shah's 
army,  as  the  Kussian  ambassador  is  also  with  it.  As  he  takes 
the  dragoman  of  the  legation  down  with  him,  he  has  no  abso- 
lute occasion  for  my  services.  From  what  I  have  seen  of  the 
place  so  far,  though  I  only  arrived  yesterday,  it  does  not  seem 
to  me  possible  that  these  mud  walls  can  withstand  a  batter- 
ing fire.  The  place  will  therefore  very  likely  be  taken  in  a 
few  days;  and  as  I  should  not  care  about  being  in  a  town 
sacked  by  Persian  troops,  I  had  intended  to  leave  it  as  soon 
as  I  delivered  my  letter." 

"  There  is  no  doubt  about  the  weakness  of  the  place ;  a 
European  army  would  carry  it  in  three  days.  But  the  Per- 
sians have  never  been  remarkable  for  their  courage,  while 
the  Afghans  are  undoubtedly  a  fighting1  people.  I  think  it 
is  quite  possible  that  the  siege  may  last  for  months.  You 
know  the  dilatory  way  in  which  these  Eastern  people  go  to 
work.  Of  course  I  can  give  no  opinion  whatever  as  to  what 
would  be  your  best  course.  It  would  depend  upon  so  many 
things — your  position  at  the  embassy,  your  chances  of  promo- 
tion there,  and  other  matters  of  which  I  am  altogether  igno- 
rant. I  suppose  you  speak  Persian  well  ? " 

"  Yes,  and  also  Arabic,  and  I  can  get  on  in  Armenian  and 


A  MAN  WALKING  JUST  IN  FRONT  OF  HIM  ....   WAS 
KNOCKED  DOWN. 


AN  UNEXPECTED  MEETING  27 

Kurdish.  As  to  my  position,  it  is  scarcely  an  official  one. 
I  am  the  son  of  a  Scottish  trader  who  for  twelve  years 
carried  on  business  at  Tabriz.  He  and  my  mother  were 
carried  off  eight  months  ago  by  an  outbreak  of  plague,  and 
his  house  and  store  were  burned  in  some  street  riots.  I 
consulted  the  British  vice-consul  there,  an  Armenian  who 
was  a  friend  of  my  father,  and  we  agreed  that  from  my 
knowledge  of  languages  I  ought  to  be  able  to  get  on  better 
in  the  East  than  at  home,  where  it  would  be  of  no  use  to  me. 
I  had  acted  as  my  father's  assistant  for  the  last  two  years 
of  his  life,  and  had  therefore  acquired  a  knowledge  of  trad- 
ing; and  I  have  a  small  capital  with  which,  when  I  get  older, 
I  can  either  enter  into  business  myself  or  join  someone  al- 
ready established.  I  was  very  glad  to  obtain  this  place  in  the 
embassy  as  a  temporary  employment  until  I  could  see  my 
way,  for  although  Mr.  M'Neill  kindly  took  me  on  as  an  extra 
assistant,  of  course  his  successor,  whoever  he  may  be,  may 
not  want  me." 

"  I  think  you  have  done  very  wisely.  How  old  are  you 
now  ? " 

"  I  am  a  few  months  over  sixteen." 

"  You  are  young  indeed,"  Pottinger  laughed,  "  to  be  en- 
gaged in  political  affairs.  Well,  I  should  say  that  if  the 
Afghans  really  mean  to  fight,  as  I  believe  they  will,  they 
can  hold  the  town  for  some  time,  and  you  will  therefore  be 
able  to  learn  their  language,  which  would  be  invaluable  to 
you  if  you  go  in  for  commerce,  or  in  fact  whatever  you  do 
out  here.  Things  are  in  a  disturbed  state  in  Afghanistan, 
and  I  should  be  surprised  if  the  Indian  Government  does  not 
interfere  there  before  long;  and  in  that  case  anyone  ac- 
quainted with  Pushtoo  and  with  Arabic  and  Persian  will 
have  no  difficulty  in  finding  employment  with  the  army,  and 
through  my  uncle  I  might  be  able  to  put  you  in  the  way  of  it. 
And  now  about  your  mission. 


28  TO  HERAT  AND  CABUL 

"  The  wuzeer  for  some  reason  or  other — I  own  I  don't  see 
why — has  been  exceedingly  civil  to  me.  On  my  arrival  I 
sent  to  say  that  I  was  a  stranger  and  a  traveller,  and  that, 
should  it  be  pleasing  to  him,  I  would  wait  upon  him.  He 
sent  down  at  once  to  say  that  he  would  see  me  the  next  day. 
Of  course  on  occasions  of  this  sort  it  is  usual  to  make  a  pres- 
ent. The  only  thing  that  I  could  give  him  was  a  brace  of 
detonating  pistols.  He  had  never  seen  any  but  flint-locks 
before,  and  accepted  them  graciously.  Finding  that  I  was 
a  British  artillery  officer,  he  at  once  asked  my  opinion  on  a 
variety  of  matters,  and  took  me  round  the  walls  with  him, 
consulting  me  as  to  how  they  had  best  be  strengthened,  and 
so  on. 

"I  will  go  up  and  see  him  presently,  and  tell  him  that 
you  have  arrived  and  are  the  bearer  of  a  letter  from  our 
minister  to  Shah  Kamran.  I  shall  of  course  mention  that 
you  have  come  in  disguise,  and  that  you  have  therefore 
been  unable  to  bring  the  customary  presents,  and  I  shall 
point  out  to  him  that  you  possess  the  confidence  of  the 
British  minister.  I  shall  say  that  for  that  reason  I  have 
persuaded  you  to  remain  here  during  the  siege,  and  that  I 
am  sure  you  will  act  with  me,  and  moreover  will  endeavour 
to  keep  M'Neill  well  informed  of  everything  going  on  here, 
and  will  continually  urge  him  to  impress  upon  the  British 
government  the  importance  of  the  position  and  the  necessity 
for  interfering  to  prevent  it  from  falling  into  the  hands  of 
the  Persians.  As  to  its  importance  there  is  no  doubt,  espe- 
cially as  Russia  appears  to  be  making  Persia  a  cat's-paw  in 
the  matter.  That  is  why  I  feel  that  while  fighting  for  these 
Heratees — who  between  ourselves  seem  to  me  to  be  unmiti- 
gated ruffians — I  am  merely  fighting  for  England,  for  it  is 
of  the  utmost  importance  that  the  gate  of  India  should  not 
be  in  the  hands  of  Persia,  especially  if,  as  you  say,  Russian 
influence  is  dominant  at  Teheran." 


AN  UNEXPECTED  MEETING  29 

"I  am  sure  I  shall  be  delighted  if  you  will  accept  me  as 
your  assistant,  though  I  don't  see  at  present  what  possible 
service  I  can,  be." 

"You  will  be  of  use.  There  will  be  no  end  of  things  to 
see  about."  Then  he  burst  out  laughing.  "  It  does  seem 
absurd,  doesn't  it,  that  we  two,  I  a  young  lieutenant  and 
you  a  lad  not  yet  seventeen,  should  be  proposing  to  take  a 
prominent  part  in  the  defence  of  a  city  like  this  against  an 
army  commanded  by  the  Shah  of  Persia  in  person." 

Angus  joined  in  the  laugh.  "  It  is  not  ridiculous  for  you," 
he  said,  "  because  as  an  artillery  officer  you  must  know  a 
great  deal  more  about  the  defence  of  towns  than  these 
Afghans  can  do;  but  it  certainly  is  absurd  my  having  any- 
thing to  do  in  it." 

Pottinger  went  with  Angus  to  the  house  of  the  Armenian 
in  order  that  he  might  know  where  to  find  him.  Leav- 
ing him  there  he  went  up  to  the  citadel,  which  stood  on 
rising  ground  at  one  corner  of  the  town.  He  returned 
in  an  hour,  and  said  that  the  wuzeer  would  receive  him 
at  once. 

"  He  is  a  good  deal  impressed,"  he  went  on,  "  with  the 
fact  that  our  minister  should  have  sent  a  messenger  here 
with  the  letter.  At  first  he  did  not  see  why  England  should 
be  interested  in  the  matter,  and  I  had  to  explain  to  him 
about  the  Russian  intrigue  in  Persia,  and  that  there  was  no 
doubt  that  sooner  or  later  they  would  invade  India,  and  that 
this  would  be  rendered  comparatively  easy  by  Herat  being 
in  the  hands  of  their  friends  the  Persians.  He  enquired  of 
me  what  rank  you  held.  I  told  him  that  you  were  a  member 
of  the  embassy,  acting  as  assistant-secretary  to  the  minister, 
and,  as  was  evident  by  his  entrusting  you  with  so  important 
a  despatch,  were  deep  in  his  confidence." 

On  arriving  at  the  citadel  they  were  at  once  conducted  to 
the  apartment  of  the  wuzeer.  Yar  Mahomed  rose  from  his 


30  TO  HERAT  AND  CABUL 

seat   and   greeted   them   politely.     Angus   walked    forward, 
bowed,  and  delivered  his  letter. 

"  You  speak  Persian,  your  excellency  ?  "  the  minister  said. 

Angus  had  difficulty  in  restraining  a  smile  at  his  new 
dignity,  but  said  gravely:  "Yes,  your  highness,  I  speak  it 
and  Arabic." 

"  You  journeyed  here  comfortably,  I  hope  ?  " 

"Yes;  there  were  a  few  adventures  on  the  way,  but  not 
more  than  I  had  expected." 

Yar  Mahomed  opened  and  read  the  letter. 

"  You  are  aware  of  its  contents  ?  "  he  asked. 

"Yes,  I  learned  them  by  heart  before  I  left  Teheran,  in 
case  I  should  be  robbed  of  the  letter  on  the  way." 

The  wuzeer  sat  in  thought  for  a  minute. 

"  But  how,"  he  said  doubtfully,  "  can  your  country,  which 
is,  as  I  hear,  very  far  distant,  exercise  any  influence  with  the 
Shah?  Surely  you  could  not  send  an  army  all  that  dis- 
tance ? " 

"'Not  from  England,  your  highness;  but  we  could  send  a 
fleet  that  could  shut  up  all  the  ports  in  the  Persian  Gulf, 
and  we  could  send  troops  from  India  to  occupy  those  places, 
and  so  destroy  all  their  trade.  Moreover,  we  could  put  a 
stop  to  all  trade  passing  by  land  through  this  town  to  Scinde, 
and  send  a  great  army  by  sea  and  invade  Persia,  and,  as  our 
soldiers  are  much  better  than  the  Persians,  might  even  take 
Tabriz  and  Teheran.  The  Shah  knows  that  they  have  done 
great  things  in  India,  and  will  see  how  they  might  bring 
ruin  on  Persia." 

"Yes,  what  your  minister  says  is  true;  but  will  he  do  this 
at  once?" 

"  That  I  cannot  say,"  Angus  replied.  "  At  first,  no  doubt, 
the  government  of  England  would  say,  'Herat  is  very  far 
off;  it  will  fall  before  we  can  do  anything.'  But  if  they  find 
that  it  holds  out  bravely,  they  will  say,  '  We  must  help  these 


AN  UNEXPECTED  MEETING  31 

people  who  are  fighting  so  well.'  There  is  another  thing. 
It  is  said  that  there  are  already  some  Russian  officers  with 
the  Shah's  army.  The  English  are  very  jealous  of  the  Rus- 
sians, and  when  they  come  to  understand  that  it  is  Russia 
who  has  sent  the  Shah  to  capture  Herat  their  anger  will 
speedily  be  roused,  and  they  will  bid  their  minister  say  to  the 
Shah,  '  If  you  continue  to  fight  against  Herat,  we  shall  send 
our  ships  and  our  army  against  you.'  The  Shah  knows  that 
we  have  conquered  in  India  people  far  more  warlike  than 
the  Persians,  and  he  will  say  to  himself,  '  Why  should  I  run 
the  risk  of  losing  my  kingdom  merely  to  please  the  Russians, 
who  are  really  much  more  dangerous  neighbours  than  the 
English?'" 

"  The  words  of  your  excellency  are  wise,"  the  wuzeer  said. 
"  You  will  see  that  we  shall  hold  out  for  months,  or  even  for 
years  if  necessary.  I  can  understand  now  why  the  British 
minister  has  confidence  in  you  though  you  look  so  young. 
How  many  years  has  your  excellency  ?  " 

"  I  am  not  yet  thirty,"  Angus  said  calmly. 

The  wuzeer  looked  surprised. 

"  It  is  because  your  face  is  smooth  that  you  look  so  young. 
We  Afghans  wear  our  beards;  I  see  that  you  do  not,  for  even 
this  brave  officer,  who  has  come  to  fight  for  us,  has  no  hair 
on  his  face.  He  has  told  me  that  you  will  stay  here,  and 
assist  with  your  advice." 

"  So  far  as  I  am  able  to  do  so,  I  will ;  but  I  am  not  greatly 
skilled  in  such  matters.  Still,  I  will  assist  him  so  far  as  I 
can." 

"  It  is  good,"  the  Afghan  said. 

"  It  would  be  better,  your  highness,  that  it  should  not  be 
known  that  I  am  an  agent  of  the  British  minister;  though 
of  course  you  can,  if  you  find  it  necessary,  cheer  your  soldiers 
by  telling  them  if  they  fight  bravely  and  well  the  British 
minister  will  try  and  mediate  between  you  and  the  Shah,  and 


32  TO  HERAT  AND  CABUL 

to  persuade  him  to  draw  off  his  army.  But  were  the  Shah 
to  know  that  the  British  minister  has  an  agent  here,  he 
would  be  wroth  with  him,  and  might  not  listen  so  willingly 
to  his  representations.  Let  it  then,  I  beg  you,  be  supposed 
that,  like  Mr.  Pottinger,  I  am  but  an  English  traveller,  who, 
chancing  to  be  here,  is  willing  to  do  all  that  he  can  to  aid  in 
the  defence  of  the  town  against  the  Persians." 

"  Your  words  are  good ;  so  let  it  be.  Where  are  you  dwell- 
ing now  ? " 

"At  the  house  of  the  Armenian  carpet-weaver  Kajar. 
The  times  being  bad,  his  looms  are  at  a  stand-still,  and  he 
was  glad  to  let  me  an  apartment." 

"  He  is  a  good  man,"  the  wuzeer  said,  "  a  good  man  and 
honest,  but  not  rich." 

Angus  felt  that  the  last  words  were  rather  a  question  than 
an  assertion,  and  he  said: 

"Surely  no.  His  rooms  are  very  simple,  but  they  are 
clean,  and  if  a  traveller  can  but  find  a  clean  lodging,  he 
cares  not  how  poor  it  is." 

"  Shall  you  be  sending  a  message  to  the  minister  ? " 

"  I  shall  endeavour  to  do  so  by  a  servant  lad  I  have  brought 
with  me.  I  will  tell  him  that  his  mind  may  be  at  ease,  for 
Herat  can  hold  out." 

"The  Persians  are  cowards!"  the  wuzeer  said  angrily. 
"My  horsemen  have  been  round  them  for  many  days,  but 
they  give  them  no  chance.  They  keep  together  like  a  flock 
of  sheep,  with  their  guns  and  their  infantry,  instead  of  rid- 
ing out  bravely  to  bring  in  plunder  and  fight  with  their 
enemies  when  they  meet  them." 

Then  turning  to  Pottinger  he  went  on: 

"  I  have  sent  out,  as  you  advised  me,  to  cut  down  all  the* 
trees  within  half  a  mile  of  the  town,  so  that  the  Persians 
will  have  no  shelter  from  our  guns;  and  as  all  the  granaries 
are  emptied  for  miles  round,  they  will  have  a  long  way  to 


AN  UNEXPECTED  MEETING  33 

go  to  get  food.  A  number  of  men  are  also  at  work  at  the  place 
where,  as  you  showed  me,  the  wall  was  rotten;  and  others  are 
clearing  out  the  ditch,  and  making  the  bank  steeper  where 
it  has  slipped  down,  so  that  if  they  should  be  so  mad  as  to 
rush  forward  and  try  to  cross  the  moat,  they  will  not  be  able 
to  climb  up." 

"  That  is  important,  Wuzeer,  and  still  more  so  is  it  that 
the  little  wall  at  the  foot  of  the  mount  of  earth  that  sur- 
rounds the  city  wall  should  be  repaired.  That  is  of  the 
greatest  importance.  They  may  manage  to  fill  up  the  moat 
and  cross  it,  but  as  long  as  the  lower  wall  stands  they  cannot 
climb  up,  even  if  a  breach  was  made  in  the  main  wall." 

"  I  will  go  round  now  with  you,"  the  wuzeer  said,  "  and 
we  will  see  where  the  worst  places  are." 

Angus  accompanied  them,  and  found  that  Pottinger's 
statement  as  to  the  weakness  of  the  fortifications  was  well 
founded.  From  a  distance  the  wall  had  looked  imposing, 
for  it  was  of  considerable  height  and  great  thickness,  but  it 
was  entirely  constructed  of  dried  mud,  and  heavy  guns  could 
effect  a  breach  anywhere  in  the  course  of  a  day  or  two.  It 
was  evident  that  if  the  place  was  to  hold  out,  it  must  depend 
upon  the  bravery  of  its  troops  and  not  upon  the  strength  of 
its  walls. 

For  the  next  week  the  work  went  on  incessantly.  Every 
able-bodied  man  in  the  town  was  employed  in  the  repairs 
of  the  wall  and  in  cutting  down  trees,  while  the  work  of 
destroying  grain  and  all  kinds  of  necessaries  which  could  not 
be  brought  into  the  town  was  performed  by  the  troops.  These 
were  all  Afghans,  were  in  regular  pay,  and  formed  the  fight- 
ing army  of  the  ruler  of  Herat.  Their  discipline  was  at  all 
times  very  lax,  and  the  permission  to  destroy  and  burn,  which 
naturally  included  looting  everything  of  value  for  their  own 
benefit,  rendered  them  even  less  amenable  to  discipline  than 
before. 

(M  807) 


34  TO  HERAT  AND  CABTTL 

Eldred  Pottinger,  as  far  as  he  could  venture,  tried  to  in- 
duce the  wuzeer  to  have  the  work  executed  in  a  more  regular 
manner  and  under  strict  supervision  by  officers  told  off  for 
the  purpose,  but  Yar  Mahomed  viewed  the  matter  with  in- 
difference. 

"  What  does  it  matter,"  he  said,  "  whether  the  soldiers  take 
things  or  not  ?  It  would  be  all  the  same  to  the  owners  whether 
they  have  them,  or  whether  they  are  destroyed,  or  fall  into 
the  hands  of  the  Persians.  In  a  few  days  the  enemy  will  be 
here,  and  it  would  be  foolish  to  cause  dissatisfaction  among 
the  soldiers  over  a  matter  of  no  consequence  whatever." 

The  country,  indeed,  was  now  deserted  by  all  its  inhabit- 
ants. Immense  stores  of  food  had  been  brought  into  the  city, 
every  unoccupied  piece  of  ground  between  the  city  walls  was 
crowded  with  cattle,  sheep,  and  horses,  and  there  was  no  fear 
that  famine  would  for  a  very  long  period  be  a  serious 
trouble  to  the  besieged.  Eldred  Pottinger's  time  was  princi- 
pally occupied  in  seeing  to  the  repair  of  the  guns  and  their 
carriages.  Without  any  definite  rank  having  been  given  to 
him,  it  was  understood  that  all  his  orders  had  the  support  of 
the  wuzeer,  and  were  to  be  obeyed  as  if  they  came  directly 
from  him,  and  that  the  young  man  with  him  was  also  an 
Englishman  of  some  importance,  and  possessed  similar 
powers. 

While  Pottinger  looked  chiefly  after  the  military  work 
performed  by  the  Afghans  who  had  come  into  the  town, 
Angus  superintended  that  upon  which  the  Sheeahs  were  en- 
gaged. These  Persian-speaking  people  carried  out  his  in- 
structions cheerfully,  because  they  were  given  in  their  own 
language,  and  were  not  accompanied  by  the  contemptuous 
haughtiness  and  animosity  which  would  have  characterized 
the  orders  of  an  Afghan,  the  hostility  between  the  two  great 
religious  sects  of  Islam  being  even  greater  than  that  enter- 
tained by  both  against  the  infidel. 


AN  UNEXPECTED  MEETING  35 

Pottinger  had  now  taken  up  his  abode  at  the  house  of 
Kajar,  where  there  were  several  apartments  unoccupied.  As 
he  did  not  speak  Armenian,  and  knew  but  little  Persian, 
Angus  and  he  arranged  to  have  a  mess  of  their  own,  engag- 
ing a  man  recommended  to  them  by  the  Armenian  as  a  good 
cook.  This  had  been  rendered  the  more  necessary,  as  the 
trader  with  whom  Angus  had  first  spoken  had  also  moved 
with  his  wife  to  his  brother's  house. 

He  had  taken  this  step  because  he  foresaw  that  as  the  siege 
went  on  the  position  of  the  Sheeahs  would  become  more  and 
more  unbearable,  and  that  the  protection  the  presence  of  the 
two  Englishmen  could  afford  would  be  most  valuable.  In- 
deed Kajar,  as  soon  as  he  saw  that  Angus  had  been  favour- 
ably received  by  the  wuzeer,  had  himself  suggested  that  Pot- 
tinger might  also  be  offered  accommodation  at  his  house. 

"  There  need  be  no  further  talk  of  payment,  effendi,  be- 
tween us.  Your  presence  here  will  be  of  vastly  greater  im- 
portance than  any  money  you  could  give  us.  No  one  can 
say  what  will  happen  here.  It  is  not  only  our  property,  but 
our  lives  which  will  be  at  stake;  but  with  you  as  inmates 
here,  no  one  would  dare  interfere  with  us,  and  we  all  regard 
the  fact  that  you  should  almost  accidentally  have  been 
brought  here  as  a  special  blessing  that  has  been  sent  from 
heaven  to  us." 

The  young  Englishmen  thus  strangely  thrown  together 
soon  became  fast  friends,  and  it  was  pleasant  indeed  to  them 
to  enjoy  their  evenings  together,  after  each  had  been  en- 
gaged during  the  whole  day  at  the  duties  they  had  under- 
taken. A  couple  of  hours,  however,  were  always  spent  by 
them,  each  in  his  own  room.  Pottinger  engaged  the  services 
of  a  mollah,  or  priest  of  the  Sheeah  sect,  to  give  him  lessons 
in  Persian,  while  Angus  worked  at  Pushtoo  with  Kajar,  who 
spoke  the  Afghan  language  perfectly. 


36  TO  HEBAT  AND  CABUL 

CHAPTER  m 

THE  SIEGE  OF  HERAT 

ON  22nd  of  November,  a  fortnight  after  Angus  arrived 
at  Herat,  the  Persian  army  took  up  its  position  on  the 
plain  to  the  north-west  of  the  city.  The  inhabitants  crowded 
the  walls  to  watch  the  advancing  host — the  Afghan  portion 
of  the  population  with  scowling  faces  and  muttered  impreca- 
tions, the  Sheeahs  prudently  abstaining  from  all  demonstra- 
tions of  their  feelings,  but  filled  with  hopes  of  deliverance 
from  their  tyrants.  Pottinger  learned  that  the  Afghan  horse 
were  going  to  make  a  sortie,  and  he  and  Angus  went  together 
to  the  north-west  angle  of  the  wall. 

"  A  good  deal  will  depend  upon  this  first  fight,"  Pottinger 
said.  "  If  the  Persians  easily  repulse  the  assault,  it  will 
cause  a  deep  depression  among  the  Afghans.  If,  on  the  other 
hand,  the  Heratees  obtain  a  fair  amount  of  success,  it  will 
BO  encourage  them  that  they  will  not  fear  another  time  to 
encounter  the  enemy,  and  will  fight  strongly  when  the  walls 
are  attacked." 

In  a  short  time  the  Afghan  horse  were  seen  pouring  out 
of  the  western  gate.  There  was  but  small  attempt  at  any- 
thing like  military  order.  It  was  a  mob  of  horsemen;  in- 
dividually splendid  riders,  and  for  skirmishing  purposes  un- 
surpassed, but,  as  Pottinger  remarked  to  his  companion,  quite 
unfit  to  stand  against  a  charge  of  regular  cavalry  equally 
endowed  with  courage.  Keeping  near  the  city  wall  until 
facing  the  Persian  position,  where  a  regiment  of  cavalry 
were  hastily  mounting,  they  wheeled  round  and  rode  against 
the  enemy  with  loud  shouts.  The  Persians  rode  to  meet  them, 
but  were  unable  to  withstand  the  impetuosity  of  the  charge, 
and,  amidst  the  exulting  shouts  of  the  Afghans  on  the  wall, 


THE  SIEGE  OP  HERAT  37 

wheeled  round  and  fled  in  disorder.  The  Afghans  then 
turning,  flung  themselves  upon  a  strong  body  of  infantry 
that  was  advancing  against  them  in  good  order.  These, 
however,  stood  firm,  emptying  many  saddles  by  a  heavy 
volley  they  poured  in  when  the  Afghans  were  close,  and 
presenting  so  steady  a  line  of  bayonets  that  the  horsemen 
recoiled. 

As  they  did  so,  the  Persian  artillery  opened  upon  the 
Afghans,  who  retired  until  near  the  wall,  and  then  dismounted 
and  opened  fire  with  their  long  matchlocks  upon  the  Persian 
gunners.  Pottinger  ran  at  once  to  a  couple  of  guns  close  to 
where  they  were  standing1,  and  under  his  directions  the 
Afghans  in  charge  of  them  at  once  replied  to  the  Persian 
guns.  A  number  of  the  Afghan  footmen  ran  out  from  the 
gate  on  that  side,  and,  joining  the  dismounted  men,  kept  up 
a  hot  fire,  while  those  on  the  wall  also  joined  in  the  conflict. 
As  the  Persian  guns  could  effect  little  against  the  infantry 
lying  in  shelter,  they  were  now  directed  against  the  wall, 
causing  a  rapid  dispersal  of  the  peaceable  portion  of  the  spec- 
tators. The  effect  of  their  fire  showed  at  once  the  rottenness 
of  the  fortifications.  Although  but  light  guns,  they  knocked 
down  portions  of  the  parapet,  which  crumbled  as  if  it  had 
been  made  of  rotten  timber.  Pottinger  shook  his  head  as  he 
and  Angus  walked  along  to  watch  the  effect  of  the  fire.  "  If 
a  six-pound  shot  can  effect  such  damage  as  this,  it  is  clear 
that  when  they  get  their  siege  guns  to  work  a  few  hours  will 
effect  a  breach  in  the  wall  itself." 

On  their  side  the  Persians  also  sent  out  skirmishers. 
These  pushed  forward  to  a  point  where  they  could  take  the 
Afghans  in  flank,  and  cause  them  to  retire  nearer  to  the 
walls.  The  fighting  was  continued  until  dark,  when  the  Per- 
sians drew  off,  and  the  Afghans  retired  into  the  city.  No 
material  advantage  had  been  gained  by  either  side,  but  the 
Heratees  were  well  content  with  the  result.  They  had  shown 


t~f\f\r* 


38  TO  HERAT  AND  CABUL 

themselves  superior  to  the  Persian  cavalry,  and  had  main- 
tained themselves  against  the  infantry. 

The  Persians  lost  no  time,  and  during  the  night  pushed 
forward  and  occupied  all  the  gardens  and  enclosures  on  the 
west  of  the  city,  and  placed  a  strong  force  among  the  ruins 
of  a  village  there.  In  the  morning  they  began  to  advance 
against  the  wall.  The  Afghans  sallied  out  horse  and  foot; 
the  cavalry,  unable  to  act  in  such  broken  ground,  moved 
round,  and  hanging  on  the  flanks  of  the  Persian  camp,  con- 
tinually threatened  an  attack.  The  infantry,  taking  advan- 
tage of  every  wall  and  bush,  maintained  a  heavy  fire  upon 
the  enemy.  The  artillery  on  both  sides  opened  fire,  but  at 
the  end  of  the  day  neither  party  had  gained  any  advantage. 

The  Afghans  brought  in  the  heads  of  several  whom  they 
had  killed,  and  a  few  prisoners.  The  heads  were  placed  on 
pikes  and  exhibited  on  the  walls.  The  prisoners  were  bartered 
as  slaves  in  exchange  for  horses  to  the  Turkomans,  of  whom 
a  considerable  party  were  encamped  at  a  short  distance  from 
the  walls. 

"  It  is  horrible  and  disgusting,"  Pottinger  said  to  his  com- 
panion that  evening  as  they  sat  together,  "this  custom  of 
cutting  off  heads,  but  as  it  is,  I  believe,  universal  in  the 
East,  it  would  be  worse  than  useless  to  protest  against  it. 
It  is  the  custom  always  to  reward  a  soldier  for  bringing  in 
a  head  as  a  proof  of  his  valour,  though,  in  fact,  it  is  no  proof, 
as  he  may  simply,  as  he  advances,  cut  it  from  the  body  of  a 
man  shot  by  someone  else.  Putting  aside  the  brutality,  it 
operates  badly,  for  instead  of  following  up  an  advantage 
hotly,  the  men  stop  to  collect  these  miserable  trophies,  and 
so  give  time  to  an  enemy  to  escape  or  rally.  I  have  read  in 
the  accounts  of  the  campaigns  of  the  Turkish  conquerors 
that  the  heads  were  always  brought  in  to  the  general  and 
piled  before  his  tent,  and  that  each  soldier  was  rewarded  ac- 
cording to  the  number  he  brought  in,  and  I  fancy  it  was  the 


THE  SIEGE  OP  HEEAT  39 

same  thing  with  Mohammedan  conquerors  in  India.  Well, 
I  am  afraid  that  we  shall  see  a  number  of  things  that  will 
disgust  us  before  the  siege  is  over.  If  I  were  fighting  solely 
for  the  Heratees,  I  should  certainly  retire  if  they  continue 
these  barbarities.  But  I  have  no  interest  whatever  in  them; 
in  fact,  I  see  that  the  greater  portion  of  the  population  would 
be  benefited  by  living  under  the  Persian  rule.  I  go  into  this 
matter  solely  because  it  is  one  I  consider  of  vital  interest  to 
England,  and  therefore,  as  an  Englishman  I  am  willing  to  do 
my  utmost  to  keep,  not  the  Persians,  but  the  Russians  from 
seizing  this  place." 

Angus  had  now  completely  caught  the  enthusiasm  of  the 
young  artilleryman.  He  was  perhaps  less  horrified  than  his 
companion,  for  he  had  seen  so  much  of  Eastern  modes  of 
punishment,  that  he  had  learned  to  regard  them  with  less 
horror  than  that  felt  by  Europeans  unaccustomed  to  Oriental 
methods. 

"  I  have  been  accustomed  to  look  on  at  acts  of  brutality," 
he  said,  "  for  from  the  time  when  I  first  came  out,  my  father 
always  impressed  upon  me  that  we  were  strangers  in  this 
part  of  the  world,  and  must  be  very  cautious  not  to  show 
any  aversion  to  its  customs.  It  would  lead  us  into  endless 
trouble  if  we  were  to  show  in  any  way  that  what  to  them 
seems  only  natural,  was  to  us  revolting;  and  though  I  have 
often  been  tempted  to  interfere  when  I  have  seen  some  act 
of  brutality,  I  have  always  followed  my  father's  instructions, 
and  walked  away  without  showing  any  anger  or  disgust.  I 
agree  with  you  that  it  is  horrid,  but  it  is  not  like  seeing 
living  men  tortured;  at  least,  when  one  is  dead  it  can  make 
no  great  difference  if  one  is  buried  with  a  head  or  without 
one." 

Pottinger  laughed.  "  That  is  certainly  one  way  of  looking 
at  it,  and  I  can  understand  that  as  the  custom  has  prevailed 
among  these  peoples  for  centuries  they  can  scarcely  under- 


40  TO  HERAT  AND  CABUL 

stand  our  feelings  of  abhorrence  and  indignation.  However, 
I  am  determined  that,  whatever  I  do  or  feel,  I  will  keep  my 
mouth  shut,  and  not  say  a  word  that  would  anger  the  wuzeer 
and  shake  my  influence  with  him.  At  present  he  is  well  dis- 
posed towards  me,  and  I  have  been  of  real  assistance  to  him. 
When  things  become  critical  I  may  be  of  vital  service.  From 
what  Kajar  says  there  is  a  strong  suspicion  that  he  is  not 
personally  brave,  which  I  can  quite  believe,  as  very  few 
thorough-paced  brutes  are.  Now  old  Shah  Kamran  is,  I 
must  own,  an  exception ;  an  absolutely  greater  scoundrel  than 
he  has  proved  himself  to  be  probably  never  existed,  but  he  is 
known  to  have  been  in  his  earlier  days  as  brave  as  a  lion. 
If  he  had  been  some  twenty  years  younger  I  should  have 
stronger  hopes  of  eventual  success  than  I  have  now.  Per- 
sonal bravery  in  a  general  is  of  no  extraordinary  advantage 
in  a  European  army,  where  he  is  not  expected  to  lead  men 
into  battle,  but  with  irregular  troops  like  these  Heratees  it 
is  of  vital  importance.  They  will  follow  their  leader  any- 
where, but  if  he  sends  them  into  danger  while  he  himself 
remains  at  a  distance,  they  lose  their  enthusiasm  directly, 
and  are  half  thrashed  before  the  battle  begins." 

"Do  you  not  think  that  Kamran  will  be  able  at  any  im- 
portant moment  to  come  forward  and  show  himself  among 
the  defenders  of  the  breach?  I  hear  that  only  a  month  or 
so  ago  he  returned  from  a  campaign." 

"I  am  afraid  not.  I  have  seen  him  twice,  and  although 
it  cannot  be  said  that  he  is  an  imbecile,  he  is  next  door  to  it. 
He  understands  what  is  going  on,  but  his  nerves  are  utterly 
shattered  by  drink;  he  is  in  what  may  be  termed  the  lachry- 
mose condition  of  drunkenness.  He  works  himself  into  a 
state  of  childish  passion;  sometimes  he  raves,  then  he  whim- 
pers. Certainly  his  appearance  would  have  no  inspiring  effect 
upon  these  rough  Afghan  soldiers.  They  want  a  man  who 
would  rush  sword  in  hand  at  their  head,  call  upon  them  to 


THE  SIEGE  OF  HERAT  41 

follow  him,  and  then  dash  into  the  middle  of  the  foe,  and  the 
miserable  old  man  could  scarcely  hold  a  sword  in  his  shaking 
hand." 

"  Well,  at  any  rate,  the  Afghans  have  fought  bravely  yes- 
terday and  to-day." 

"Excellently;  but  it  is  the  work  they  are  accustomed  to. 
An  Afghan  battle  consists  of  two  sets  of  men  snugly  hidden 
away  among  the  rocks,  firing  away  at  each  other  until  one 
side  loses  a  few  men  and  then  retires.  So  they  were  quite 
at  home  at  their  skirmishing  work,  and  certainly  more  than 
a  match  for  the  same  number  of  Persians.  What  they  will 
do  when  an  attack  on  a  breach  is  made  by  a  column  remains 
to  be  seen." 

Night  and  day  the  Heratees  worked  at  their  defences,  while 
the  Persians  raised  batteries  and  fortified  their  camp  against 
sudden  attacks.  After  four  or  five  days  of  comparative  quiet 
a  heavy  cannonade  broke  out.  Artillery  played  upon  the 
walls,  mortars  threw  shell  into  the  town,  and  rockets  whizzed 
overhead.  For  a  time  the  consternation  in  the  city  was  pro- 
digious; the  rockets  especially,  which  were  altogether  new  to 
them,  appalled  the  inhabitants,  who,  as  night  came  on,  gath- 
ered on  the  roofs  of  their  houses  and  watched  with  affright 
the  sharp  trains  of  light,  and  shuddered  at  the  sound  of  the 
fiery  missiles.  The  sound  of  lamentation,  the  cries  of  fear, 
and  the  prayers  to  Allah  resounded  over  the  city;  but  the 
panic  abated  somewhat  when  it  was  found  that  comparatively 
little  injury  was  effected.  But  while  the  peaceful  inhabitants 
wailed  and  prayed,  the  troops  and  the  men  who  had  come  in 
from  the  Afghan  villages  laboured  steadily  and  silently  at 
the  work  of  repairing  the  damages  effected  by  the  fire  of 
the  Persian  batteries. 

But  little  could  be  done  to  the  face  of  the  wall,  but  the 
crumbling  parapets  and  earth  dug  up  from  open  spaces  were 
used  to  construct  a  fresh  wall  behind  the  old  one  at  points 


42  TO  HEBAT  AND  CABDL 

against  which  the  Persian  guns  played  most  fiercely,  so  that 
when  a  breach  was  formed  the  assailants  would  find  an  un- 
looked-for obstacle  to  their  entrance  into  the  town.  This 
work  was  directed  by  Pottinger,  who  took  but  little  rest,  re- 
maining constantly  at  his  post,  and  only  snatching  an  hour's 
sleep  now  and  then.  Angus  assisted  to  the  best  of  his  power, 
always  taking  his  place  when  his  comrade  could  no  longer 
battle  against  sleep,  and  seeing  that  everything  went  on  well. 
The  Afghans  yielded  a  willing  obedience  to  the  orders  of  these 
young  strangers.  They  saw  the  utility  of  the  work  upon 
which  they  were  engaged,  and  laboured  well  and  steadily. 
The  Persian  artillery  were,  fortunately  for  the  besieged,  badly 
commanded.  Instead  of  concentrating  their  fire  upon  one 
spot,  in  which  case  a  breach  would  have  been  effected  in  a 
few  hours,  each  gunner  directed  his  aim  as  he  thought  best, 
and  the  shot  which,  if  poured  upon  a  single  point,  would  have 
brought  down  the  crumbling  wall,  effected  no  material  dam- 
age, scattered  as  it  was  over  a  face  a  mile  in  length. 

It  was  all  the  less  effective,  inasmuch  as  the  artillerymen 
generally  aimed  at  the  parapet  of  the  wall  instead  of  the 
solid  portion  below  it.  It  was  a  delight  to  them  to  see  a  por- 
tion of  the  parapet  knocked  down  by  their  shot,  whereas  when 
the  wall  itself  was  hit  comparatively  small  show  was  made. 
Many  of  the  shot  flew  high  and  passed  over  the  town  into 
the  fields  beyond  it,  and  at  the  end  of  four  days'  almost  con- 
tinuous firing,  Herat  was  stronger  and  more  capable  of  re- 
sistance than  it  was  when  the  Persians  first  appeared  before 
the  walls.  The  absence  of  any  tangible  result  evidently 
lowered  the  spirits  of  the  besiegers,  while  it  proportionately 
raised  those  of  the  defenders.  Moreover,  the  immense  ex- 
penditure of  projectiles  by  the  Persians  showed  the  Shah  and 
his  generals  that,  large  as  was  the  store  of  ammunition  they 
had  brought  with  them,  it  might  prove  insufficient,  and  the 
labour  and  time  which  would  be  entailed  in  renewing  the 


THE  SIEGE  OF  HERAT  43 

supply  from  the  magazines  at  the  capital  would  be  enormous. 
Consequently  the  fire  became  irregular,  sometimes  for  an  hour 
or  two  all  the  batteries  would  play,  while  at  other  times  only 
a  few  guns  would  be  discharged  in  the  course  of  an  hour. 

The  shells  that  were  thrown  into  the  city  did  much  more 
damage  than  the  round  shot  of  the  batteries.  Many  houses 
were  almost  destroyed  by  them,  and  whole  families  killed. 
These,  however,  were  for  the  most  part  peaceable  Sheeahs, 
and  the  matter  in  no  way  affected  the  defenders  of  the  wall, 
whose  spirits  rose  daily  as  they  perceived  that  the  Persian 
artillery  was  by  no  means  so  formidable  as  they  had  antici- 
pated. The  Persians  made  no  attempt  to  blockade  the  city, 
evidently  fearing  the  sorties  the  defenders  made,  and  con- 
fined their  operations  to  that  side  of  the  city  before  which 
they  were  encamped.  This  was  a  great  advantage  to  the 
besieged.  Three  out  of  the  five  gates  of  the  city  stood 
open,  communications  were  maintained  with  the  surround- 
ing country,  the  cattle  and  other  animals  went  out  to 
graze,  and  firewood  and  other  commodities  passed  freely  into 
the  town. 

Throughout  December  the  Persians  were  harassed  by 
nightly  attacks.  The  working  parties  in  their  entrenchments 
were  driven  out,  tools  carried  off,  the  workmen  killed,  and 
the  work  performed  during  the  day  destroyed,  the  assailants 
retiring  before  heavy  masses  of  infantry  could  be  brought 
up  to  repel  them.  Upon  many  days  scarce  a  shot  was  fired, 
then  for  a  few  hours  there  would  be  a  lively  cannonade,  but 
of  the  same  scattered  and  wasteful  fashion  as  before. 

On  December  26th  all  the  Persian  prisoners  who  had  been 
captured  in  the  sorties  were  sent  off  for  sale  to  the  frontier 
of  the  Turkoman  country.  The  Shah  retaliated  by  putting 
to  death  in  various  cruel  manners  the  Afghan  prisoners  who 
had  fallen  into  his  hands.  Two  days  later  a  mine  was  sprung 
and  a  breach  effected  in  the  wall.  The  Persians  advanced  to 


44  TO  HERAT  AND  CABUL 

storm  it,  but  were  met  with  the  greatest  resolution  by  the 
Heratees,  who  repulsed  them  with  considerable  loss,  their 
leader  being  severely  wounded,  and  a  deserter  from  Herat,  a 
man  of  high  military  reputation  among  the  Afghans,  killed 
— a  fact  that  caused  almost  as  much  joy  to  the  defenders  as 
the  repulse  of  the  assault.  The  success,  however,  of  the  mine, 
and  the  knowledge  that  the  Persians  were  engaged  in  driving 
several  tunnels  towards  the  wall,  caused  a  considerable  feel- 
ing of  uneasiness.  Nevertheless,  the  30th,  which  was  the  day 
of  the  termination  of  the  long  Mohammedan  fast,  was  cele- 
brated with  the  usual  rejoicings,  which  the  besieged  were  en- 
abled to  take  part  in  without  fear  of  an  attack,  as  the  day 
was  being  celebrated  with  similar  festivities  in  the  Persian 
camp. 

Shah  Kamran  went  with  his  family  in  procession  to  the 
principal  mosque,  and  after  the  conclusion  of  the  prayers 
usual  to  the  occasion,  observed  the  custom  of  scattering  sweet- 
meats to  be  scrambled  for  by  the  priests.  To  their  disap- 
pointment, however,  he  did  not  follow  this  up  by  inviting 
them  to  a  banquet,  but  sent  extra  provisions  to  the  troops 
and  the  workers  on  the  walls.  There  was  now  a  pause  in 
active  operations  for  more  than  three  weeks.  The  Persians 
laboured  at  their  mines,  but  either  from  ignorance  of  their 
work,  or  on  account  of  the  water  flowing  from  the  moat  into 
their  galleries,  no  damage  resulted.  The  Heratees  counter- 
mined under  the  advice  of  Pottinger,  but  beyond  proving 
that  the  Persian  galleries  were  not  being  driven  where  they 
expected,  nothing  came  of  it.  But  on  the  26th  of  January 
the  Afghans  determined  to  give  battle  to  the  Persians  in  the 
open.  Again  the  whole  population  gathered  on  the  walls,  and 
the  two  young  Englishmen  were  also  there. 

"  The  wuzeer  asked  me  this  morning  whether  I  would  go 
out  with  them,"  Pottinger  said  to  Angus,  "  but  I  replied  that, 
although  acquainted  with  artillery  and  siege  operations,  I  did 


THE  SIEGE  OF  HERAT  45 

not  know  enough  of  the  Afghan  way  of  fighting  to  accept 
even  a  small  command  in  the  field.  I  am  useful  here,"  he 
went  on,  "  and  I  should  be  of  no  use  whatever  outside.  The 
Afghans  have  their  own  ideas  as  to  when  to  advance  and  when 
to  retreat;  besides,  it  might  offend  some  of  the  leaders  were 
I,  a  stranger,  to  interfere  in  any  way.  There  is  no  jealousy 
of  me  at  present,  at  least  I  think  not.  They  know  nothing 
of  sieges,  and  there  is  no  one  who  holds  any  special  post  in 
connection  with  the  fortifications.  No  one  therefore  feels 
superseded.  In  the  next  place,  the  work  is  for  the  most  part 
carried  out  by  labourers,  who  get  paid  for  their  services,  and 
not  by  the  troops,  and  it  is  nothing  to  them  whether  they  get 
their  orders  from  an  Englishman  or  an  Afghan.  In  an  at- 
tack on  a  breach  I  should  certainly  fight;  in  the  first  place, 
because  I  consider  it  -my  duty,  and  in  the  second,  because,  if 
the  Persians  get  inside  the  walls,  you  may  be  sure  that  there 
will  be  something  like  a  general  massacre." 

The  Afghan  cavalry  and  infantry  poured  out  from  the 
gate,  and  spread  themselves  over  the  open  country  to  the  east 
of  the  Persian  camp.  The  men  on  foot  took  possession  of  a 
village,  and  established  themselves  in  its  houses  and  the  gar- 
dens surrounding  it.  From  the  wall  a  view  could  be  obtained 
of  the  movements  in  the  enemy's  camp.  The  vedettes  had 
fallen  back  as  soon  as  the  Afghans  issued  out,  drums  were 
beaten  and  horns  sounded,  the  troops  ran  hastily  together, 
and  their  general,  Mahomed  Khan,  could  be  seen  galloping 
about  issuing  orders.  Presently  a  strong  column  moved  out. 
It  was  headed  by  cavalry;  and  as  soon  as  these  made  their 
appearance  the  Afghan  horse  galloped  across  the  plain,  while 
the  crowd  on  the  walls  burst  into  shouts  of  encouragement, 
although  the  troops  were  too  far  off  to  hear  them. 

"It  is  a  pretty  sight,  Angus,  but  about  as  unlike  modern 
warfare  as  could  well  be.  European  cavalry  seeing  a  mob 
of  horsemen  coming  down  upon  them  in  such  disorder  would 


46  TO  HERAT  AND  OABUL 

ride  at  them,  and  no  irregular  horse  could  withstand  the  im- 
pact of  a  well-disciplined  and  compact  cavalry  charge. 
There,  the  Persians  are  forming  line;  but  there  is  no  smart- 
ness about  it,  it  is  done  in  a  half-hearted  sort  of  way,  as  if 
they  did  not  like  the  business  before  them.  There,  they  are 
off;  but  they  are  too  slow,  they  won't  be  fairly  in  a  gallop 
before  the  Afghans  are  upon  them." 

For  a  minute  or  two  the  contending  bodies  were  mixed  in 
a  confused  mass,  then  the  shouts  of  the  spectators  rose  high 
as  the  Persians  could  be  seen  flying  towards  their  infantry 
hotly  pursued  by  the  Afghans.  Then  came  the  rattle  of  mus- 
ketry, the  quick  reports  of  cannon,  as  the  infantry  and  artil- 
lery covered  the  retreat  of  their  cavalry.  Presently  the  Hera- 
tee  horse  were  seen  retiring  from  the  village  in  which  the 
struggle  had  taken  place;  another  body,  which  had  not  yet 
been  engaged,  instead  of  riding  forward  to  support  them, 
also,  turned,  and  for  a  time  all  rode  off,  while  the  Persian 
cavalry  were  reinforced  from  the  camp  and  pursued  them. 
The  Heratees  soon  recovered  themselves  and  again  charged, 
but  again  the  leading  squadrons  were  badly  supported  by  those 
behind.  These  were  under  another  leader,  who  was  probably 
influenced  by  jealousy  or  by  tribal  hostility,  and  the  Persian 
horse,  well  supported  by  their  infantry,  gradually  gained  the 
advantage,  their  own  infantry  coming  to  the  support.  The 
Afghan  footmen  also  advanced,  and  the  fight  was  maintained 
during  the  whole  day. 

"  It  is  like  playing  at  war,"  Pottinger  said  irritably ;  "  ex- 
cept in  that  first  charge  they  have  never  really  come  to 
blows.  It  is  skirmishing  rather  than  fighting.  Here  there 
are  some  ten  or  twelve  thousand  men,  taking  both  sides, 
cavalry,  infantry,  and  a  few  guns.  I  don't  think  that  when 
our  men  come  in  again  it  will  be  found  that  they  have  lost 
a  hundred,  and  I  don't  suppose  the  Persians  have  lost  much 
more.  It  is  a  fair  field  for  fighting,  and  between  two  Euro- 


THE  SIEGE  OF  HERAT  47 

pean  forces  of  the  same  strength  a  long  day's  battle  would 
probably  have  caused  three  or  four  thousand  casualties.  One 
would  think  that  neither  party  was  in  earnest.  Certainly 
the  Heratees  are,  though  I  don't  suppose  the  Persian  soldiers 
have  any  particular  personal  interest  in  the  matter." 

The  action  was  altogether  indecisive,  and  at  the  end  of  the 
day  the  Persians  held  no  ground  beyond  the  village  where 
their  infantry  first  opened  fire,  while  the  Heratees  had  gained 
nothing  by  their  sortie.  When  the  Afghans  re-entered  the 
walls  it  was  found  that  Pottinger's  estimate  as  to  the  amount 
of  loss  was  very  near  the  truth;  there  were  between  twenty- 
five  and  thirty  killed,  and  some  four  times  as  many  wounded, 
more  or  less  seriously.  They  of  course  claimed  a  victory,  and 
were  highly  satisfied  with  their  own  doings,  but  the  opera- 
tions only  tended  to  show  that  neither  party  had  any  eager- 
ness for  real  fighting. 

On  the  7th  of  February  Pottinger  said :  "  I  have  received 
permission  to  go  into  the  Persian  camp  to-morrow.  Kamran 
has  given  me  a  message  on  his  part  to  the  Persian  king.  It 
is  an  appeal  to  him  to  retire.  He  says  that  when  Khorassan 
was  in  rebellion  he  refused  the  entreaties  of  its  chief  to  aid 
them,  although  at  that  time  he  could  have  raised  ten  thou- 
sand horsemen,  and  might,  with  the  rebels  of  Khorassan,  have 
marched  to  Teheran.  He  had  sent  one  of  his  highest  officers 
to  congratulate  the  Shah  on  his  succession,  and  now  the  latter 
is  without  provocation  marching  against  him.  He  prays  him 
therefore  to  retire,  to  aid  him  with  guns  and  men  to  recover 
the  dominions  he  has  lost  in  Afghanistan,  and  if  he  be  suc- 
cessful he  will  hand  over  Herat  to  him.  Yar  Mahomed  has 
also  given  me  a  message  to  the  Persian  minister,  just  the 
sort  of  message  I  should  have  expected  from  him.  He  de- 
clares that  he  is  devoted  to  the  Shah  and  to  him,  but  that  he 
is  bound  to  stand  by  his  master.  That  whatever  might  be  his 
own  wish,  the  Afghans  would  never  surrender  the  city,  and 


48  TO  HERAT  AND  CABUL 

that  he  dare  not  propose  such  a  thing  to  them,  but  that  he 
shall  ever  remain  the  faithful  servant  of  the  Shah  and  of 
the  minister  whom  he  regards  as  his  father.  I  will  take  you 
with  me  if  you  wish,  but  that  must  be  a  matter  for  your  own 
consideration." 

"  I  should,  of  course,  like  to  go,"  Angus  said,  "  but  I  do  not 
know  that  it  would  be  wise  for  me  to  do  so.  Mr.  M'Neill 
may  be  in  the  Persian  camp.  It  is  not  probable  that  I  should 
be  recognized,  still  there  must  be  many  officials  there  who 
came  frequently  to  see  him  at  the  embassy,  and  who  would 
know  me.  Should  one  of  these  declare  that  I  was  a  member 
of  the  mission,  it  might  create  a  very  bad  impression  against 
M'Neill,  as  it  would  seem  that  he  was  in  secret  communica- 
tion with  Kamran." 

"  That  is  just  what  I  was  thinking,"  Pottinger  said,  "  and 
I  must  say  that  I  agree  with  you.  It  certainly  would  be 
awkward  for  him  if  it  were  known  that  one  of  his  suite  was 
in  Herat.  Yes,  I  think  it  would  be  better  that  you  should 
not  go.  We  shall  certainly  be  the  centre  of  curiosity  while 
we  are  in  the  camp,  and  there  would  be  no  possibility  of  pri- 
vate communications  between  you  and  M'Neill.  But  should 
I  see  him  have  you  any  message  for  him?  I  think  we  have 
agreed  that  when  this  business  is  over  it  will  be  much  better 
for  you  to  go  with  me  back  to  India  than  to  return  to  Tehe- 
ran." 

"  Yes,  I  have  quite  settled  that,"  Angus  said.  "  With  the 
kind  offer  you  have  made  to  present  me  to  your  uncle  I  should 
think  that  the  prospect  of  my  obtaining  advancement  there 
is  very  much  greater  than  it  is  in  Persia,  where  I  might  be 
left  altogether  in  the  lurch  if  M'Neill  were  recalled.  I  shall 
be  obliged,  therefore,  if  you  will  tell  him  of  my  intention, 
and  thank  him  for  me  very  heartily  for  his  kindness.  He 
will,  I  am  sure,  approve  of  the  step,  for  he  has  several  times 
told  me  that  he  was  sorry  he  could  see  no  chance  of  my  ob- 


THE  SIEGE  OF  HERAT  49 

taining  more  than  a  clerkship  at  the  mission,  and  advised  me 
on  no  account  to  think  of  remaining  there  if  I  could  see  my 
way  to  doing  better  for  myself." 

"  I  will  be  sure  to  give  M'Neill  the  message  if  I  see  him 
but  I  don't  expect  to  be  long  in  the  camp.  I  am  charged 
with  such  a  ridiculous  message  that  there  is  no  likelihood  of 
any  discussion  taking  place.  The  minister  will,  of  course, 
scoff  at  Yar  Mahomed's  declarations  of  respect  for  the  Shah 
and  affection  for  himself,  and  the  Shah,  after  taking  the 
trouble  to  collect  an  army  and  come  here  himself,  is  not 
likely  to  retire  at  the  request  of  Kamran.  My  real  hope  in 
going  is  that  I  may  find  a  British  officer  with  the  Persians. 
There  is  almost  certain  to  be  one,  as  the  Russians  have,  it 
is  said,  several.  Through  him  I  may  send  messages  to  friends 
at  home  and  to  my  uncle  in  Scinde.  They  must  all  begin  to 
feel  anxious  about  me." 

Angus  saw  his  companion  ride  out  the  next  morning  with 
some  anxiety  as  to  his  reception,  but  with  no  particular  re- 
gret that  he  did  not  accompany  him.  He  had  often  been  in 
the  encampments  of  the  Persian  troops  before  the  army  left 
Teheran,  and  there  would  therefore  be  nothing  new  to  him 
in  the  scene.  Pottinger  as  usual  wore  the  dress  of  an  Afghan 
of  some  standing,  and  was  accompanied  only  by  one  mounted 
attendant  and  a  runner  to  hold  his  horse.  A  small  party  of 
Afghans  rode  with  him  for  some  distance  beyond  the  walls, 
and  then,  shouting  good  wishes  for  his  return  in  safety,  left 
him.  Angus  continued  to  watch  the  men  at  their  work  for 
two  or  three  hours,  and  then  took  his  place  on  the  walls  again 
and  watched  for  his  comrade's  return.  It  was  not,  however, 
till  the  10th  that  he  came  back  to  Herat. 

On  the  previous  day  he  was  prevented  from  returning  by 
a  violent  storm  which  raged  from  morning  till  night,  and 
considerable  anxiety  was  felt  in  the  town.  That  he  had  gone 
on  a  mission  from  Kamran  was  generally  known,  but  none 

(M  807)  D 


60  TO  HERAT  AND  CABUL 

save  the  Shah  and  his  wuzeer  were  aware  of  its  nature.  Angus 
was  much  alarmed,  as  he  thought  it  too  probable  that  his 
friend  had  been  shot  by  the  Persian  outposts  as  soon  as  he 
arrived  among  them,  for  there  was  nothing  to  show  that  he 
came  as  an  envoy.  He  was  therefore  greatly  relieved  when 
a  native  brought  the  news  to  him  that  the  Englishman  was 
returning.  As  the  news  spread  it  caused  great  excitement. 
When  Pottinger  rode  in  at  the  gate  a  great  crowd  had  as- 
sembled there,  and  all  thronged  round  him  asking  for  infor- 
mation. He  replied  that  they  must  enquire  of  the  wuzeer, 
who  alone  could  deliver  it.  As  he  saw  Angus  in  the  crowd 
he  shouted  to  him,  "  As  I  expected,  nothing  has  come  of  it ; 
meet  me  at  the  house." 

An  hour  later  Pottinger  arrived  there.  "  I  was  getting  very 
anxious  about  you,"  Angus  said,  "  and  was  beginning  to  fear 
that  you  had  been  shot  by  the  Persian  outposts." 

"I  was  a  little  uncomfortable  myself,  and  I  kept  a  good 
look-out,  as  you  may  suppose.  The  roads  led  through  those 
ruined  villages,  and  at  any  moment  I  might  have  a  bullet 
whizzing  about  my  ears.  Presently  I  saw  some  Persian  sol- 
diers running  towards  the  road,  and  I  told  my  man  to  take 
off  his  turban  and  wave  it  to  show  that  our  intentions  were 
peaceable.  When  they  perceived  this  they  came  straggling 
up.  I  told  them  that  I  was  an  English  officer,  and  the  bearer 
of  messages  to  the  Shah  and  his  minister.  They  seemed  de- 
lighted, chiefly  perhaps  from  the  fact  of  my  being  an  English- 
man, but  also  because  they  hoped  that  I  had  come  with  an 
offer  of  surrender.  However,  they  shouted  '  Welcome,  wel- 
come I  the  English  were  always  friends  of  the  Shah.'  The 
officer  who  commanded  the  picket  turned  out  to  be  a  major 
who  had  served  under  Major  Hart,  and  who  knew  all  the 
English  officers  who  had  of  late  years  been  in  Persia.  He 
took  me  to  the  major-general  commanding  the  attack,  who 
turned  out  to  be  a  Russian  in  the  Persian  service  command- 


THE  SIEGE  OF  HERAT  51 

ing  a  corps  of  Eussians — men  who  had  left  their  own  country 
for  doubtless  good  reasons.  At  any  rate,  he  received  me  cour- 
teously. We  had  tea,  and  smoked  a  pipe  together,  and  he 
then  sent  me  on  with  an  escort  to  the  Persian  camp. 

"  The  news  that  someone  had  come  in  from  Herat  to  ar- 
range terms  for  its  submission  having  preceded  me,  almost 
the  whole  camp  came  out  to  see  me,  and  if  my  escort  had 
not  used  their  iron  ramrods  most  vigorously  upon  the  heads 
and  shoulders  of  the  crowd  I  should  never  have  got  through. 
When  I  reached  the  minister's  tent  he  received  me  gra- 
ciously, but  we  did  not  enter  into  business;  it  was  necessary 
that  the  Shah  should  first  decide  whether  he  would  receive 
me. 

"  I  had  learned  from  the  Russian  general  that  Colonel 
Stoddart  was  in  camp.  As  it  was  known  before  I  left  India 
that  he  would  accompany  the  Persians  I  had  letters  for  him, 
and  received  permission  to  go  to  his  tent  to  deliver  them.  His 
astonishment  at  finding  that  I  was  a  British  officer  was,  as 
you  may  imagine,  great.  However,  I  had  but  little  time  to 
talk,  for  in  a  few  minutes  a  message  came  that  I  was  to  go 
back  at  once  to  the  minister,  or,  as  he  is  called  there  as  well 
as  here,  the  wuzeer.  Stoddart  accompanied  me.  The  Per- 
sian asked  me  what  were  the  messages  that,  as  he  had  been 
informed,  Kamran  and  Yar  Mahomed  had  sent  to  the  Shah 
and  himself.  I  told  him  that  I  could  only  deliver  Kamran's 
message  to  the  Shah,  and  that  I  thought  his  own  message 
had  better  be  given  him  privately. 

"  The  wuzeer,  who  is  a  bilious  and  excitable  little  man, 
sent  everyone  out  from  the  tent  but  Stoddart  and  myself,  and 
I  then  delivered  the  message.  We  had  a  long  discussion.  The 
wuzeer  declared  that  the  English  themselves  had  put  down 
Herat  as  forming  part  of  the  Persian  dominions  in  the  map 
that  Burnes  had  made.  I  said  that  I  thought  not.  He  pro- 
duced the  map  to  convince  me,  but  to  the  little  man's  intense 


62  TO  HERAT  AND  CABUL 

disgust  he  f  ound  that  he  was  altogether  wrong.  He  then  ap- 
pealed to  Stoddart.  The  latter,  as  our  military  representa- 
tive at  the  Shah's  court,  replied  diplomatically  that  he  had 
no  instructions  on  the  subject,  and  would  refer  the  case  to 
the  envoy  at  Teheran.  (M'Neill,  by  the  by,  has  not  yet 
reached  the  camp.)  Stoddart  said  that  he  was  not  aware  that 
the  Persian  government  had  annexed  Herat,  as  its  ruler  had, 
both  with  the  British  government  and  the  late  Shah,  been 
acknowledged  as  sovereign  in  Afghanistan;  so,  as  I  expected, 
nothing  came  of  the  interview.  We  went  back  to  Stoddart's 
tent,  and  shortly  afterwards  were  sent  for  by  the  Shah.  He 
received  us  with  courtesy,  and  I  delivered  Kamran's  message. 

"  The  Shah  replied,  speaking  with  dignity  and  calmness, 
and  stating  his  complaints  against  Kamran,  that  he  had  per- 
mitted his  soldiers  constantly  to  make  incursions  into  Per- 
sian dominions,  robbing  and  slaying,  and  carrying  off  Persian 
subjects  to  sell  as  slaves;  then  gradually  warming  up  as  he 
recited  a  number  of  such  forays  and  depredations,  he  de- 
nounced Kamran  as  a  treacherous  liar,  and  said  that  he  would 
not  rest  satisfied  until  he  had  planted  a  Persian  garrison  in 
the  city  of  Herat.  Of  course  there  was  nothing  more  to  be 
said.  We  were  formally,  though  courteously,  dismissed,  and 
I  went  back  with  Stoddart  to  his  tent,  where  I  remained  till 
this  morning.  I  was  by  no  means  sorry  that  the  tremendous 
storm  yesterday  afforded  an  excuse  for  stopping,  and  I  en- 
joyed my  day  of  quiet  talk  with  Stoddart  immensely. 

"He  thinks  that  if  the  Persians  do  but  make  an  attack 
with  all  their  strength  the  town  must  be  taken,  in  which  I 
entirely  agree  with  him.  He  said,  however,  that,  as  the 
slackness  of  their  fire  for  some  time  past  has  shown,  the  Per- 
sians are  heartily  sick  of  the  business,  and  if  the  Shah  had 
some  really  good  excuse  for  retiring  he  would  gladly  do  so. 
I  said  that  the  best  excuse  would  be  some  strong  action  on 
the  part  of  our  government.  He  replied  that  he  had  himself 


THE  SIEGE  OF  HERAT  53 

urged  this  upon  M'Neill,  and  that  the  enVoy  had  already  writ- 
ten urgently  home  in  that  sense.  Of  course  I  told  him  of  your 
being  there.  He  had  already  heard  from  M'Neill  that  he 
had  sent  you  here  to  encourage  Kamran  to  hold  out.  He 
asked  a  good  deal  about  you,  and  quite  agreed  with  me  that 
with  your  knowledge  of  languages — and  I  told  him  that  in  the 
three  months  during  which  you  had  been  here  you  had  already 
learned  enough  Pushtoo  to  converse  in  it  freely — you  would 
be  sure  to  get  an  appointment  in  India,  as  it  was  extremely 
probable  that  an  army  would  shortly  be  sent  into  Afghan- 
istan to  support  Shah  Soojah  against  Dost  Mahomed,  espe- 
cially as  the  latter  had  received  Vickovich,  an  aide-de-camp 
to  the  governor  of  Orenburg,  as  an  envoy  at  Cabul. 

"  Of  course  I  had  heard  about  the  intention  of  supporting 
Dost  Mahomed  before  I  started.  I  know  that  my  uncle  and 
Mr.  Burnes,  who  is  our  agent  at  Cabul,  are  both  strongly 
opposed  to  this.  Dost  Mahomed  has  always  defeated  Shah 
Soojah,  he  is  firmly  established  on  his  throne,  and  Burnes 
believes  that  he  is  very  well  disposed  towards  us.  However, 
that  is  not  our  affair;  but  if  there  should  be  such  an  expedi- 
tion it  much  increases  your  chance  of  obtaining  an  official 
post.  I  took  the  opportunity  to  write  to  my  uncle  and  to 
send  my  report  to  the  Indian  government,  and  in  both  cases 
I  stated  that  I  had  received  the  most  valuable  assistance  from 
a  young  gentleman  who  was  temporarily  attached  to  the 
mission  at  Teheran,  and  who,  speaking  as  he  did,  Persian, 
Pushtoo,  and  Arabic,  would,  I  considered,  be  of  great  service 
should  any  difficulties  arise  with  Afghanistan.  I  said  that 
I  had  seized  the  opportunity  of  recommending  you,  as  it 
was  possible  that  I  myself  might  fall  in  the  defence  of 
Herat." 

"It  was  awfully  kind  of  you,  Pottinger,  and  I  am  ex- 
tremely obliged  to  you." 

"I  felt  that  I  was  acting  in  the  interest  of  the  Indian 


54  TO  HERAT  AND  CABUL 

government  as  well  as  of  yourself.  The  siege  may  last  for 
another  month  yet,  and  by  the  end  of  that  time  you  will  be 
able  to  pass  as  easily  as  an  Afghan  as  you  now  can  as  a 
Persian,  and  may  be  invaluable;  for  as  we  have  as  yet  had 
very  little  contact  with  Afghanistan  there  are  not,  I  should 
say,  half  a  dozen  officers  in  our  service  who  can  speak 
Pushtoo — probably  not  one  who  could  do  so  well  enough  to 
pass  as  a  native.  I  myself  knew  but  little  of  it  when  I 
started,  so  my  disguise  was  that  of  a  Cutch  horse-dealer, 
and  I  passed  through  Afghanistan  as  a  native  of  India. 
Even  now  I  do  not  speak  Pushtoo  as  well  as  you  do,  having 
devoted  myself  to  Persian,  while  you  have  been  working 
at  Afghan.  For  your  sake  I  hope  that  the  siege  may  last 
for  some  time  yet,  as  it  may  be  a  great  advantage  to  you 
when  you  apply  for  an  official  post  to  be  able  to  say  that  you 
can  pass  anywhere  as  a  native." 


CHAPTEE  IV 

A  STURDY  DEFENCE 

POTTINGER'S  belief  that  the  Shah  was  anxious  to  bring 
the  war  to  a  conclusion  was  confirmed  by  the  arrival 
of  the  major  he  had  met  when  going  into  the  Persian  camp, 
with  instructions  from  the  Russian  general,  endorsed  by  the 
minister,  to  endeavour  to  persuade  the  Afghans  to  consent 
to  the  terms  offered  by  the  Shah.  It  was  better,  he  urged, 
for  them  to  settle  their  differences  among  themselves  than 
to  employ  mediation.  He  warned  them  that  as  the  English 
had  come  to  India  under  the  pretence  of  trading,  and  had 
finally  conquered  the  whole  country,  they  should  on  no 
account  be  trusted.  He  assured  them  that  the  Shah  had 


A  STUBDT  DEFENCE  65 

no  desire  to  interfere  in  the  internal  administration  of 
Herat,  the  present  movement  was  not  an  expedition  against 
Herat  but  against  Hindostan,  and  that  all  true  Moham- 
medans should  join  the  Shah's  army,  and  that  he  would  lead 
them  to  the  conquest  and  plunder  of  all  India  and  Turkes- 
tan. 

Pottinger  was  sent  for  privately,  and  consulted  by  the 
Kamran  and  the  wuzeer  as  to  what  answer  should  be  sent. 
His  advice  was  taken,  and  the  next  day  the  envoy  returned 
to  his  camp  with  vague  assurances  of  regard,  and  the  sug- 
gestion that  if  the  Persians  were  really  inclined  for  peace, 
the  best  proof  that  they  could  give  of  the  sincerity  of  their 
inclination  would  be  the  retirement  of  the  besieging  force. 
There  was  much  excitement  in  the  city  when  the  proposals 
brought  by  the  Persian  officer  became  known,  and  many  of 
the  older  men  began  to  argue  that  it  did  not  matter  much 
whether  Kamran  was  called  prince  or  king,  or  whether  the 
supremacy  of  the  Persian  Shah  was  or  was  not  acknowl- 
edged in  Herat,  as  long  as  no  Persian  garrison  was  placed 
in  the  city.  The  wuzeer,  however,  remained  firm.  He  de- 
clared that  he  had  no  confidence  in  the  Persians,  that  he 
desired  to  be  guided  by  the  advice  and  be  aided  by  the 
mediation  of  the  English,  and  that  if  the  Shah  would  place 
the  conduct  of  negotiations  in  the  hands  of  Colonel  Stoddart, 
he  on  his  part  would  trust  everything  to  Lieutenant  Pot- 
tinger, and  would  accept  whatever  was  decided  upon  by  the 
two  English  officers. 

"  That  was  his  own  decision,  and  not  mine,"  Pottinger 
said,  when  he  returned  from  an  interview  with  the  wuzeer. 
"  There  is  no  doubt  that,  ruffian  as  he  is  in  many  respects, 
he  is  a  clever  man.  You  see,  he  shifts  all  the  responsibility 
for  the  continuance  of  the  war  off  his  shoulders  on  to  those 
of  the  Persians,  for  their  refusal  to  accept  the  decision  of  the 
British  officer  in  their  camp  will  convince  the  Afghans  that 


56  TO  HERAT  AND  CABITL 

the  Persians  will  be  satisfied  with  nothing  but  their  de- 
struction." 

Two  days  later  the  Persian  officer  returned  to  Herat  with 
a  letter  stating  that  the  Shah  had  no  desire  to  possess 
himself  of  the  town,  but  only  claimed  that  his  sovereignty 
should  be  acknowledged.  The  answer  was  the  same  as  before. 
Kamran  was  willing  to  do  all  that  was  required  if  the 
Persian  army  would  but  retire.  The  negotiations  were  car- 
ried on  for  a  day  or  two  longer,  but  though  both  parties 
desired  peace,  the  one  would  not  surrender,  the  other  would 
not  retire  and  acknowledge  failure.  Hostilities,  therefore, 
continued  without  intermission,  and  a  fortnight  later  the 
Persians  gained  possession  of  a  fortified  place  three  hundred 
yards  from  the  north-east  angle  of  the  wall.  The  Afghans 
stationed  there  had  made  but  a  poor  resistance,  and  upon 
entering  the  town  their  faces  were  smeared  with  mud,  and 
they  were  sent  through  the  city  accompanied  by  a  crier 
who  proclaimed  their  cowardice. 

A  month  passed  without  any  incident  of  importance,  and 
at  the  end  of  that  time  M'Neill  arrived  at  the  Persian 
camp.  Every  effort  had  been  made  to  hinder  him  on  his 
way  from  Teheran,  and  he  was  at  first  coldly  received.  A 
week  later  he  had  an  audience  with  the  Shah,  and  stated  to 
him  that  the  attack  upon  Herat  was  an  obvious  violation 
of  the  treaty  between  Great  Britain  and  Herat,  and  the 
British  government  would  therefore  be  justified  in  taking 
active  measures  to  enforce  its  terms.  The  Shah  upon  this 
consented  to  accept  the  British  mediation. 

Three  days  later,  however,  the  Persians  made  a  serious 
attack.  Some  new  batteries  opened  against  the  ramparts 
near  the  great  mosque.  Their  fire  was  this  time  concentrated, 
and  the  wall  crumbled  so  rapidly  that  by  the  evening  a 
practicable  breach  had  been  made.  The  Afghans,  however, 
did  not  lose  heart,  declaring  that  they  trusted  to  themselves, 


A  STUEDY  DEFENCE  57 

and  not  to  their  walls,  to  defend  the  city.  They  had,  indeed, 
gained  an  advantage  in  the  middle  of  the  day.  They  blew 
in  a  mine  that  had  been  carried  almost  up  to  the  wall,  and 
taking  advantage  of  the  alarm  caused  by  the  explosion  rushed 
out  and  furiously  attacked  the  besiegers,  carrying  the  trenches 
for  some  distance  before  a  strong  Persian  force  came  up  and 
drove  them  back  again.  So  heavy  a  fire  was  then  opened 
from  the  trenches  on  the  musketeers  on  the  walls,  that  these 
were  completely  overpowered,  and  were  unable  to  show  a 
head  above  the  parapets.  As  evening  came  on  the  Persians 
shouted  that  an  English  officer  wished  to  enter  the  town, 
but  the  wuzeer  shouted  back  that  no  one  would  be  allowed 
to  enter  at  that  hour.  The  next  day  Major  Todd,  who  was 
attached  to  the  embassy,  entered  the  town.  He  was  in  full 
regimentals,  and  his  appearance  excited  the  most  lively  ad- 
miration of  the  populace.  He  announced  that  the  Shah  was 
ready  to  accept  the  mediation  of  the  British  government. 
He  was  received  with  the  greatest  courtesy  by  Shah  Kamran, 
who  after  the  interview  took  a  cloak  from  his  own  shoulders 
and  sent  it  by  the  wuzeer  to  Major  Todd,  who  returned  to 
the  Persian  camp  with  the  assurance  of  Kamran's  desire  to 
accept  the  mediation  of  the  British  minister. 

But  though  apparently  both  parties  had  at  last  arrived 
at  an  understanding,  that  evening  the  aspect  of  affairs 
became  more  warlike  than  ever.  The  Persian  trenches  were 
filled  with  men,  the  bodies  of  horse  and  foot  on  the  line 
of  investment  were  strengthened,  and  there  were  all  ap- 
pearances that  an  assault  would  be  made  that  evening;  and 
the  Afghan  chiefs  were  called  together  and  each  had  his  post 
assigned  to  him.  But  scarcely  had  they  separated  when  Mr. 
M'Neill  himself  arrived.  He  was  conducted  at  once  to 
Kamran's  palace,  and  the  greater  part  of  the  night  was 
spent  in  discussion.  It  was  nearly  dawn  when  the  minister 
accompanied  Pottinger  to  the  latter's  residence.  As  he  had 


58  TO  HERAT  AND  OABUL 

arranged  when  he  arrived  that  he  would  sleep  at  Pottinger's, 
a  room  had  been  prepared  for  him,  Angus  sat  up  for  several 
hours,  but  then  feeling  sure  that  the  minister  would  at  once 
retire  to  bed  on  his  return,  had  lain  down.  When  he  awoke 
it  was  half-past  six,  and  dressing  hastily  he  went  into  the 
sitting-room  that  he  shared  with  Pottinger,  and  to  his  sur- 
prise found  Mr.  M'Neill  writing  there.  The  minister  greeted 
him  cordially. 

"  I  heard  all  about  you  from  Colonel  Stoddart,  and  approve 
highly  of  your  remaining  here  to  give  Pottinger  what  aid 
you  can  during  the  siege.  I  also  think  that  you  have  done 
very  wisely  in  determining,  as  Pottinger  told  Stoddart  you 
had  done,  to  go  to  India.  I  myself  will  write  to  the  English 
government  saying  what  you  have  done,  how  intelligently  you 
carried  on  your  work  at  the  mission,  and  recommending  you 
for  an  appointment  on  the  northern  frontier  either  with  the 
army  or  the  resident  at  Scinde,  or  perhaps  better  still,  with 
Mr.  Burnes  at  Cabul." 

At  this  moment  Pottinger  entered  the  room,  and  he  was 
as  surprised  as  Angus  had  been  at  seeing  the  minister  at 
work  after  only  a  couple  of  hours  in  bed.  There  was  another 
meeting  with  Kamran,  who  placed  himself  entirely  in  the 
hands  of  the  British  envoy,  and  said  that  he  would  gladly 
consent  to  any  terms  agreed  upon  by  him.  At  the  conclusion  of 
the  meeting  Mr.  M'Neill  returned  at  once  to  the  Persian  camp. 

To  the  disappointment  of  all,  Major  Todd  rode  in  two 
days  later  with  the  surprising  news  that  the  Shah  had 
entirely  changed  his  attitude,  and  absolutely  refused  to 
submit  the  dispute  to  British  arbitration,  and  that  unless 
the  whole  people  of  Herat  acknowledged  themselves  his  sub- 
jects, he  would  take  possession  of  the  city  by  force  of 
arms.  This  sudden  change  was  the  result  of  the  arrival  of 
the  Russian  representative,  Count  Symonwich,  on  the  morn- 
ing of  the  day  of  M'Neill's  visit  to  the  city.  The  Russian 


A  STUEDY  DEFENCE  59 

party  at  once  became  ascendant.  He  himself  took  the  con- 
duct of  the  operations  of  the  siege,  the  officers  with  him 
taught  the  Persian  soldiers  how  to  construct  batteries,  and 
Russian  money  was  freely  distributed  among  them.  Pot- 
tinger's  task  of  explaining  to  Kamran  the  news  brought  by 
Major  Todd  was  an  unpleasant  one;  but  the  old  man  took 
the  news  quietly,  and  said  that  he  never  expected  anything 
else,  for  the  Persians  had  always  been  noted  for  their  treach- 
ery and  want  of  faith.  The  news,  however,  caused  great  dis- 
couragement in  the  town,  and  it  was  determined  at  a  meet- 
ing of  the  chiefs  that  they  would  send  to  the  Russian  am- 
bassador and  place  themselves  under  the  protection  of  his 
master.  Meeting  after  meeting  was  held,  at  all  of  which 
Pottinger  was  present.  Sometimes  he  was  received  and 
listened  to  with  respect,  and  other  times  he  was  treated  with 
marked  discourtesy. 

The  influence  of  Mr.  M'Neill  at  the  Persian  court  de- 
clined rapidly,  while  that  of  the  Russians  became  supreme. 
For  some  months  past  he  had  failed  to  obtain  any  satisfac- 
tion for  matters  of  serious  complaint.  As  far  back  as 
October  a  courier  bearing  despatches  from  Colonel  Stoddart 
to  him  at  Teheran  had  been  seized  by  a  Russian  officer, 
stripped  and  imprisoned  by  the  Persians,  and  his  despatches 
taken  from  him.  The  British  resident  in  the  Persian  Gulf 
had  been  grossly  insulted  by  the  governor  of  Bushire,  and 
the  Persian  government  had  continued  to  evade  its  obliga- 
tions under  the  commercial  treaty  between  the  two  nations. 
So  marked  was  the  indignity  with  which  M'Neill  was  now 
treated  in  the  Persian  camp,  that  on  the  7th  of  June  he  left 
it  with  Colonel  Stoddart  and  all  his  suite  and  attendants,  a 
step  equivalent  to  a  rupture  of  the  relations  between  Great 
Britain  and  Persia. 

In  the  meantime  the  pressure  of  famine  and  sickness 
became  more  and  more  intense  in  Herat.  The  city  was  alto- 


60  TO  HERAT  AND  CABUL 

gether  without  drainage,  and  the  stench  from  the  bodies  of 
those  who  had  died  or  been  killed,  and  of  the  dead  animals, 
was  dreadful.  But  although  much  depressed,  the  courage  of 
the  Afghans  still  sustained  them,  and  when  on  the  13th  of 
June  the  Persians  surprised  the  outer  works,  they  held  the 
connecting  passage  and  defended  it  until  assistance  came, 
when  the  garrison  poured  out,  rushed  down  the  slope,  and 
dislodged  the  assailants  with  much  slaughter.  Another  at- 
tempt on  the  same  day  at  a  fresh  point  was  equally  unsuccess- 
ful, and  the  storming  party  were  twice  repulsed.  Pottinger 
was  now  armed  with  an  authority  that  he  had  not  before  pos- 
sessed, for  he  had  been  appointed  by  M'Neill  British  envoy 
at  Herat.  The  news  of  the  departure  of  the  embassy,  and 
Pottinger's  assurances  that  this  was  a  prelude  to  war  be- 
tween England  and  Persia,  had  but  little  effect.  It  was 
certain  that  the  city  could  not  possibly  hold  out  many  weeks, 
and  it  might  be  months  before  the  arrival  of  a  British  fleet 
and  army  could  influence  the  Persians. 

Happily,  however,  Lord  Auckland,  Governor-General  of 
India,  had  not  waited  for  instructions  from  home,  but  at 
the  news  of  the  investment  of  Herat,  and  the  outrage  upon 
our  resident  in  the  Persian  Gulf,  had  begun  to  take  steps 
early  in  the  spring;  and  on  the  4th  of  June  two  transports 
and  some  vessels  of  war  left  Bombay  harbour  with  detach- 
ments of  two  British  regiments  and  a  marine  battalion,  and 
on  the  19th  anchored  off  the  island  of  Karrack  in  the  Persian 
Gulf. 

Upon  the  24th  of  June  Herat  went  through  the  most 
terrible  experience  of  the  siege.  At  daybreak  a  heavy  fire 
opened  from  the  Persian  batteries  on  all  four  sides  of  the 
city.  It  ceased  suddenly  after  a  time.  Pottinger,  who 
was  at  breakfast,  exclaimed  to  Angus,  as  he  leapt  up  from 
his  seat :  "  They  are  going  to  assault ;  the  batteries  have 
done  their  work.  Quick,  to  the  wall ! " 


A  STURDY  DEFENCE  61 

Warning  the  soldiers  they  came  upon  as  they  ran,  they 
made  their  way  to  the  wall.  Just  as  they  arrived  there 
another  gun  was  fired,  and  at  the  signal  the  batteries  on  all 
sides  again  hroke  into  life.  A  storm  of  rockets  carried 
dismay  into  the  town,  the  mortars  dropped  their  shells 
into  it,  and  most  conclusive  of  all,  a  rattle  of  musketry  broke 
out,  growing  every  moment  in  power.  Against  five  points 
was  the  assault  directed.  That  on  the  gate  of  Candahar 
was  repulsed,  and  the  enemy  chased  back  to  their  trenches. 
That  upon  the  south-west  angle  was  but  a  feint,  and  was 
never  pushed  home  against  the  western  gate.  The  Russian 
regiment  under  Sampson,  and  a  strong  force  under  a  Persian 
officer,  pressed  up  to  the  breach;  but  the  Persian  was  killed 
and  Sampson  carried  off  wounded,  and  the  troops  fled  after 
suffering  immense  loss.  The  attack  on  the  north-western 
face  was  similarly  repulsed,  but  the  fifth  contest  was  des- 
perate. The  storming  party  gained  the  fausse  hraye.  The 
Afghans  defending  it  fought  desperately,  and  all  fell  at 
their  post.  The  storming  party  rushed  up  the  slope.  The 
officers  and  leading  men  were  mown  down  by  a  heavy  musketry 
fire,  but  after  a  fierce  struggle  the  upper  fausse  braye  was 
carried,  and  some  of  the  assailants  gained  the  head  of  the 
breach. 

But  now  the  Afghan  reserves  were  brought  up,  and  the 
Persians  on  the  breach  were  driven  back.  Again  and  again, 
the  Persians  fighting  this  time  with  desperate  courage, 
struggled  to  effect  a  lodgment,  only  to  be  repulsed,  and  fell 
back  in  confusion  on  their  comrades  behind.  For  a  long 
time  the  issue  was  doubtful ;  a  desperate  hand-to-hand  conflict 
raged,  the  assailants  and  defenders  swayed  up  and  down  the 
breach,  which  was  covered  with  corpses  and  slippery  with  blood. 

Yar  Mahomed  arrived  almost  at  the  same  time  as  Pot- 
tinger  and  Angus,  for  these,  before  coming  here,  had  seen 
that  all  was  going  well  at  the  other  points  attacked. 


62  TO  HERAT  AND  CABUL 

They  had  observed  as  they  came  along  men  leaving  the 
breach  by  twos  and  threes  under  pretence  of  assisting 
wounded  comrades,  and  Pottinger  saw  to  his  dismay  that 
the  men  were  losing  heart.  As  they  came  to  the  breach 
they  found  other  soldiers  coming  up.  The  wuzeer  was 
sitting  down  close  by.  Pottinger  ran  up  to  him.  "You 
must  encourage  your  men,  wuzeer;  go  forward  and  join 
them,  or  all  will  be  lost." 

The  Afghan  scarcely  seemed  to  hear  what  he  said.  "  You 
must  come,"  Pottinger  repeated  loudly ;  "  there  is  no  time  to 
be  lost."  Then  he  turned  to  Angus :  "  Do  what  you  can,"  he 
said.  "I  must  rouse  the  wuzeer;  evidently  his  nerves  have 
suddenly  given  way." 

Glad  at  last  to  be  free  to  join  in  the  struggle,  Angus  drew 
his  sword  and  ran  down,  thrusting  back  those  who  were 
mounting,  and  pushed  his  way  forward  to  the  front,  shouting 
in  Pushtoo:  "Fight,  men!  fight  for  your  faith,  your  wives, 
and  your  children!  Everything  is  going  on  well  elsewhere. 
Are  you  alone  going  to  fail?" 

The  bearded  Afghans,  astonished  at  seeing  this  young 
Englishman  rushing  forward  in  advance  of  them,  followed 
him,  and  again  the  Persians  were  beaten  back.  But  although 
the  Afghans  in  front  had  been  animated  by  the  lad's  example, 
those  behind  were  still  dropping  off.  The  wuzeer,  aroused 
by  the  vigorous  exhortations  of  Pottinger,  had  risen  up  and 
neared  the  breach.  The  Persians  were  renewing  their  attack, 
and  the  wuzeer  called  upon  his  men  to  fight.  The  fugitives 
paused  irresolute.  The  wuzeer's  heart  failed  him  again,  and 
he  turned  back,  his  action  still  further  discouraging  the  men. 
Pottinger,  in  the  most  vehement  language,  exhorted  him  to 
set  an  example.  Again  he  turned  and  advanced,  but  again 
shrank  back.  Pottinger  now  instead  of  entreating  reviled 
and  threatened  him,  called  him  opprobrious  names,  and  at 
last,  seizing  him  by  his  arm,  dragged  him  forward  to  the 


A  STURDY  DEFENCE  63 

breach.  This  astounding  treatment  maddened  the  Afghan. 
He  shouted  to  the  soldiers  to  fight,  and  as  they  continued  to 
fall  back,  seized  a  large  staff,  and,  rushing  like  a  madman 
upon  the  soldiers,  drove  them  forward  again  with  a  shower 
of  heavy  blows,  while  Pottinger  sword  in  hand  seconded  him. 
Cooped  up  as  they  were,  and  seeing  no  other  outlet  of  escape, 
many  of  them  leapt  wildly  down  over  the  parapet,  rushed 
down  the  slope,  and  fell  upon  the  Persian  stonners.  Believ- 
ing that  great  reinforcements  must  have  arrived,  these  were 
seized  by  a  panic,  abandoned  their  position,  and  fled. 

Herat  was  saved  entirely  by  the  energy  and  courage  of 
the  young  English  lieutenant.  Pottinger's  first  question 
was  as  to  his  companion.  He  had,  while  urging  the  wuzeer 
to  advance,  caught  sight  of  him  fighting  desperately  in  the 
midst  of  the  Persians,  and  he  at  once  made  his  way  down 
to  that  spot.  He  was  not  long  in  discovering  Angus,  who 
was  lying  insensible,  bleeding  from  a  number  of  sabre 
wounds.  Calling  four  Afghans,  he  ordered  him  to  be  carried 
on  to  the  wall.  There  he  bandaged  his  wounds,  and  then  had 
him  placed  on  a  stretcher  and  carried  to  their  lodging,  taking 
on  himself  to  send  an  order  to  the  wuzeer's  own  medical 
attendant  to  go  there  at  once  and  attend  to  his  wounds.  Then 
he  turned  his  attention  to  the  wuzeer.  The  mind  of  the 
minister  had  been  almost  unhinged  by  the  terrible  events, 
and  he  was  still  wandering  about  in  a  confused  and  be- 
wildered way.  Several  of  the  other  chiefs  were  similarly 
affected,  and  were  unable  for  days  afterwards  to  perform 
their  usual  duties. 

The  soldiers  themselves,  instead  of  being  excited  over 
their  victory,  were  as  gloomy  and  depressed  as  if  they  had 
suffered  a  defeat.  The  peril  had  been  so  great,  the  city  had 
been  so  nearly  lost,  that  there  was  a  general  feeling  that 
another  such  attack  would  be  successful.  Their  confidence" 
hitherto  had  rested  upon  the  wuzeer,  and  on  the  conviction 


64  TO  HERAT  AND  CABUL 

that  their  courage  was  infinitely  greater  than  that  of  the 
Persians,  and  they  had  found  that  the  Persians  could  now 
fight  as  well  and  stoutly  as  they  themselves.  They  were 
humiliated  by  knowing  that  it  was  to  a  young  English  officer 
they  owed  it  that  the  Persians  had  failed  in  their  object,  and 
that  another  young  Englishman,  scarce  more  than  a  boy,  had 
led  their  best  and  bravest  into  the  thick  of  the  fray,  and  had 
himself  penetrated  beyond  them  into  the  midst  of  the  Per- 
sians and  had  fallen  there.  None  appreciate  bravery  more 
than  do  the  Afghans.  It  was  not  so  much  that  Pottinger 
had  exposed  himself  recklessly  to  the  shower  of  bullets  with 
which  the  Persians  in  their  trenches  swept  the  spot  where 
he  was  standing  with  the  wuzeer,  but  that  he  should  have 
ventured  to  abuse,  revile,  and  even  forcibly  drag  their  dreaded 
leader  forward  astounded  them. 

All  Herat  felt  that  it  was  he  who  had  saved  the  city,  and 
the  fame  of  the  deed  spread  through  the  country  round, 
and  men  when  they  came  in  sought  him  out  and  kissed 
his  .hand  with  enthusiasm.  A  deep  gloom,  however,  hung 
over  the  city.  Even  the  work  of  repairing  the  damaged 
fortifications  was  carried  on  apathetically.  They  had  re- 
pulsed the  Persians,  but  it  was  felt  that  nothing  but  a 
miracle  could  enable  them  to  withstand  another  such 
assault.  Food  was  all  but  exhausted,  the  treasury  was  empty, 
the  inhabitants  could  not  be  fed,  the  soldiers  could  not 
be  paid.  But  an  equal  amount  of  depression  was  felt  in 
the  Persian  camp.  Five  assaults  had  all  failed,  and  some 
eighteen  hundred  of  their  best  troops  had  fallen.  The 
loss  of  officers  had  been  enormous;  the  Russian  general, 
Berowski,  had  been  killed,  and  two  of  the  principal  Persian 
generals.  Another  Russian  general,  Sampson,  and  two 
pashas  had  been  wounded,  and  almost  all  the  field  officers  of 
the  regiments  engaged  in  the  attack  were  hors  de  combat. 

Pottinger's  position  was  a  very  painful  one.     The  need 


A  STURDY  DEFENCE  65 

for  money  to  pay  the  troops  was  absolute,  and  the  wuzeer, 
when  he  had  recovered  from  the  effects  of  his  scare,  in- 
stituted a  reign  of  terror  even  more  terrible  than  anything 
the  wretched  inhabitants  had  ever  before  felt.  The  soldiers 
went  from  house  to  house,  and  all  suspected  of  possessing 
money  were  seized  and  tortured.  Even  ladies  of  rank  were 
so  treated,  and  the  very  inmates  of  Kamran's  zenana  were 
threatened  and  had  to  contribute  their  jewels.  Pottinger 
felt  that  it  was  solely  owing  to  his  influence  that  the  city 
had  so  long  held  out,  and  as  he  went  through  the  streets 
starving  men  reproached  him  as  the  author  of  their  suffer- 
ings. He  did  all  that  he  could,  but  that  was  little.  Men 
of  all  ranks  came  to  him  imploring  his  aid  and  protection. 
Some  he  was  able  to  save,  but  for  others  he  could  do  nothing. 
Never  was  a  young  soldier  placed  in  so  terrible  a  dilemma. 
As  a  man  he  was  agonized  by  the  sufferings  he  saw  round 
him — sufferings  he  could  at  once  bring  to  an  end  by  advising 
the  wuzeer  to  surrender:  as  a  soldier  and  an  Englishman,  he 
felt  that  it  was  his  duty  to  hold  out  to  the  bitter  end. 

His  position  became  still  more  difficult  when,  a  fortnight 
after  the  assault,  the  Persians  again  opened  negotiations, 
demanding,  however,  as  a  first  step  that  he  should  be  ex- 
pelled from  the  city.  Pottinger  declared  that  no  thought 
of  personal  safety  should  persuade  him  to  stand  in  the  way 
of  any  arrangement  conducive  to  the  safety  of  Herat  and 
the  welfare  of  his  country,  and  that  if  these  could  be  gained 
by  his  departure  he  would  willingly  leave  the  town.  But 
Yar  Mahomed  was  undecided.  He  felt  that  the  dismissal 
of  the  man  who  had  saved  Herat  would  be  a  stain  on  his 
character,  and,  moreover,  that  the  Persians  having  obtained 
his  dismissal,  would  become  still  more  exorbitant  in  their 
demands.  He  had  long  expected  the  arrival  of  a  relieving 
force  of  Turkomans,  and  Pottinger  was  convinced  that  ere 
long  the  intervention  of  England  would  compel  the  Persians 
(M  807)  H 


66  TO  HERAT  AND  CABUL 

to  fall  back.  The  bombardment  of  the  city  had  not  been 
renewed  since  the  repulse  of  the  attack,  and  the  Persians 
relied  now  solely  upon  famine  to  reduce  it,  and  maintained 
a  strict  blockade. 

In  order  to  mitigate  the  horrors  he  saw  around  him,  Pot- 
tinger  undertook  that  all  who  voluntarily  brought  in  their 
money  should  be  reimbursed  at  his  recommendation  by  the 
British  government.  This  brought  some  money  in,  though 
slowly,  and  July  passed.  Then  a  deserter  from  the  Persian 
camp  brought  in  news  that  there  was  a  report  that  a  great 
British  army  had  landed  in  the  Persian  Gulf,  had  taken 
Bushire,  and  was  advancing.  This  report  had  fortunately 
enormously  magnified  the  strength  of  the  British  expedition, 
and  the  news  gave  fresh  life  to  the  defenders  of  Herat.  The 
Persians  again  opened  negotiations,  waiving  the  question  of 
the  expulsion  of  Pottinger,  but  the  wuzeer  was  less  inclined 
than  before  to  yield  to  the  Persian  demands. 

M'Neill  was  on  his  way  to  the  frontier  when  he  was 
informed  of  the  arrival  of  the  British  expedition  to  the 
Persian  Gulf,  and  at  the  same  time  received  instructions 
from  the  Foreign  Office  in  anticipation  of  the  refusal  of  the 
Shah  to  retire  from  before  Herat.  Fortified  by  these  in- 
structions, he  despatched  Colonel  Stoddart  to  the  Persian 
camp  with  a  message  to  the  Shah.  He  arrived  there  on  the 
llth  of  August,  and  on  the  next  day  had  an  interview  with 
the  Shah,  who  welcomed  him  with  cordiality,  and  listened 
to  the  message  from  the  British  government. 

"It  means,  then,"  he  said,  "that  if  I  do  not  leave  Herat 
there  will  be  war  ? " 

"  It  all  depends  upon  your  Majesty's  answer,"  Stoddart  re- 
plied. 

Two  days  later  Stoddart  was  again  summoned  to  the 
royal  presence.  "  We  consent,"  the  Shah  said,  "  to  the  whole 
of  the  demands  from  the  British  government.  We  will  not 


A  STURDY  DEFENCE  67 

go  to  war.  Were  it  not  for  the  sake  of  their  friendship,  we 
should  not  return  from  before  Herat.  Had  we  known  that 
by  our  coming  here  we  should  risk  the  loss  of  their  friend- 
ship, we  certainly  should  not  have  come  at  all." 

In  reply,  Colonel  Stoddart  said  he  thanked  God  that  his 
Majesty  had  taken  so  wise  a  view  of  the  real  interests  of 
Persia.  But  as  he  left  the  audience,  he  hinted  to  the 
Persian  minister  that  although  the  Shah's  answer  was  very 
satisfactory,  it  would  be  more  satisfactory  still  to  see  it  at 
once  reduced  to  practice.  Although  rumours  reached  the 
city  that  the  Persians  were  about  to  leave,  it  was  not  for 
another  week  that  the  rumours  became  a  certainty.  An 
effort  was  made  to  induce  the  wuzeer  to  make  some  con- 
cessions that  would  give  a  better  grace  to  the  withdrawal  of 
the  Shah.  Some  of  the  conditions  suggested  were  refused 
by  Pottinger's  advice;  but  on  the  4th  of  September  the 
Persian  prisoners  in  the  town  were  sent  into  camp,  and  on 
the  9th  the  Persian  army  began  their  march  back  to 
Teheran. 

It  was  time  indeed  that  they  did  so,  for  they  had  but 
three  or  four  days'  supply  of  forage  remaining,  and  their 
flour  and  grain  were  almost  all  exhausted.  Their  failure 
to  capture  so  weakly  fortified  a  place  was,  in  Pottinger's 
opinion,  due  to  the  fact  that  there  was  no  union  of  effort. 
The  commanders  of  the  various  sections  of  the  army  acted 
independently,  and  except  when,  under  the  command  of  the 
Russians,  they  made  a  simultaneous  attack,  they  never  acted 
in  concert  with  each  other.  It  was  his  opinion  that  the 
Shah  might  have  carried  the  city  by  assault  the  very  first 
day  that  he  reached  Herat.  He  declared  that  the  Persians 
were  equally  as  brave  as  and  far  better  soldiers  than  the 
Afghans,  and  that  they  had  an  ample  supply  of  artillery  to 
capture  a  strong  fortress  if  properly  employed. 

For  a  week  after  the  struggle  of  the  24th  of  June  Angus 


68  TO  HERAT  AND  CABUL 

Campbell  lay  between  life  and  death.  He  had  lost  a  great 
quantity  of  blood,  and  when  first  carried  to  his  room  his 
Armenian  friends  believed  him  to  be  dead.  Pottinger,  who 
had  hurried  back  as  soon  as  he  saw  that  there  was  no 
chance  of  a  renewal  of  the  assault,  went  to  Kamran's  and 
obtained  some  spirits,  and  with  the  aid  of  these  the  action 
of  the  heart,  which  had  before  been  so  slight  that  the  pulse 
could  not  be  felt,  was  stimulated,  and  respiration  grew 
stronger.  Kamran's  doctor  had  already  declared  that  none 
of  the  wounds  were  in  themselves  dangerous,  but  that  he 
despaired  of  the  patient  recovering.  Pottinger,  however, 
by  no  means  despaired;  he  procured  some  fresh  meat,  and 
ordered  a  servant  to  make  the  strongest  broth  possible,  and 
to  pour  a  spoonful  between  the  patient's  lips  every  few 
minutes.  Angus  was  wrapped  in  warm  blankets,  and  a 
large  bottle  of  hot  water  placed  against  his  feet.  The 
wounds  had  already  been  carefully  dressed  and  bandaged 
by  the  surgeon,  for  although  almost  entirely  ignorant  as  to 
the  use  of  drugs,  Afghan  doctors  had  abundant  practice  in 
the  treatment  of  wounds. 

Pottinger  remained  two  or  three  hours,  and  then,  seeing 
that  Angus  was  breathing  regularly  though  feebly,  and  that 
the  pulse  could  now  be  felt  at  the  wrist,  hurried  off  to  see 
that  the  work  of  repairing  the  breach  had  been  taken  in 
hand,  Kajar's  wife  undertaking  to  look  after  the  patient. 
For  a  week  the  issue  of  the  struggle  was  doubtful;  then  the 
improvement,  although  slow,  was  distinct,  and  day  by  day 
some  slight  advance  was  made.  The  ladies  of  Kamran's 
zenana  were  much  interested  in  the  young  Englishman,  and 
frequently  sent  down  presents  of  fruit  and  perfumes.  Both 
were  welcome.  The  air  of  Herat  was  very  unfavourable  to 
wounds,  but  a  little  scent  sprinkled  on  a  muslin  curtain 
drawn  across  the  window  to  some  extent  neutralized  the 
terrible  stenches  of  the  town,  and  a  handkerchief  steeped 


A  STURDY  DEFENCE  69 

in  water  to  Which  a  little  of  the  perfume  had  been  added, 
was  laid  lightly  over  the  bandages. 

In  three  weeks  Angus  was  able  to  sit  up  for  a  time,  and 
a  week  later  he  walked  across  the  room.  His  progress  was 
now  more  rapid,  and  by  the  end  of  July  he  was  able  to  sit 
a  donkey  as  far  as  the  city  wall,  where  he  could  breathe  a 
purer  air  than  that  of  the  city,  and  by  the  end  of  August 
he  could  walk  freely  about  the  town.  But  he  was  listless 
and  without  energy.  It  was  now  certain  that  in  a  very 
short  time  the  Persians  would  draw  off. 

"  You  must  be  out  of  this  as  soon  as  you  can,  Angus," 
Pottinger  said  to  him  one  evening1.  "  What  you  want  is 
some  mountain  air.  You  will  never  get  better  as  long 
as  you  remain  in  this  pestilential  atmosphere.  It  is  enough 
to  kill  a  healthy  dog,  and  I  only  wonder  that  the  whole 
population  has  not  been  swept  away.  When  M'Neill  was 
here,  he  told  me  that  if  our  people  interfered  and  Herat 
was  saved  he  should  appoint  me  officially  as  the  British 
resident  envoy.  He  said  that  he  was  sure  the  British 
government  would  send  money  and  do  all  that  was  possible 
to  alleviate  the  misery  that  has  been  suffered  by  the  inhabit- 
ants; and  although  I  would  infinitely  rather  have  other 
employment,  it  seems  to  me  that  it  is  clearly  my  duty  to 
stay  here.  It  is  largely  owing  to  me  that  these  poor  people 
have  suffered  for  ten  months  the  horrors  of  the  siege,  and 
the  least  I  can  do  is  to  help  them  now,  for  if  I  did  not 
you  may  be  sure  that  any  money  sent  by  England  would 
simply  remain  in  the  coffers  of  Kamran  and  the  wuzeer.  It 
is  said,  and  I  quite  believe  it,  that  a  large  proportion  of  the 
money  wrung  by  torture  from  these  wretched  people  has  been 
retained  by  Yar  Mahomed.  It  is  therefore  absolutely  neces- 
sary, if  the  people  are  to  be  fed,  their  houses  rebuilt,  and 
matters  tided  over  till  trade  recovers,  that  a  British  officer 
be  here  to  receive  and  superintend  the  distribution  of  British 


70  TO  HEBAT  AND  CABUL 

money.  But  the  very  day  the  gate  is  open  you  had  better 
be  off.  You  speak  Afghan  now  perfectly,  and  I  am  glad  to 
see  that  Azim  has  picked  it  up  too.  He  is  a  capital  fellow, 
and  has  watched  over  you  since  you  have  been  ill  as  if 
you  had  been  his  father.  The  question  is,  do  you  feel 
strong  enough  to  travel  through  the  mountains?  If  not, 
there  is  nothing  for  it  but  for  you  to  return  to  Teherau 
and  stay  there  till  your  strength  is  restored." 

Angus  shook  his  head.  "  I  don't  think  that  I  could  stand 
the  journey  across  the  plains,"  he  said,  "nor  that  I  should 
pick  up  much  at  Teheran,  while  I  believe  that  in  the  hills 
I  should  soon  get  braced  up.  There  is  nothing  really  the 
matter  with  me  now,  except  that  I  feel  lazy.  If  there  had 
been  fighting  going  on,  and  there  was  something  I  must  do, 
I  should  soon  shake  it  off;  but  what  with  the  sight  of  the 
misery  of  the  people  here,  and  the  stinks,  and  the  heat,  I 
feel  myself  that  I  am  making  no  progress.  I  believe  I  shall 
be  a  different  man  as  soon  as  I  am  once  out  of  this  place 
and  on  my  way  to  the  hills.  It  will  soon  be  getting  cold  up 
there,  and  in  a  fortnight  I  shall  be  fit  for  anything." 

"I  think  you  are  right,  Angus;  I  would  give  a  good 
deal  myself  for  a  few  hours  in  the  fresh  mountain  air.  I 
do  think  that  you  are  strong  enough  to  travel  quietly.  Of 
course  you  will  have  to  do  so,  as  I  did,  in  disguise;  and 
indeed  this  will  be  much  more  necessary  now  than  it  was 
a  year  ago.  It  is  well  known  that  the  chiefs  at  Candahar 
have  been  long  negotiating  with  Persia,  and  have  offered 
to  place  themselves  under  the  Shah's  protection,  and  that, 
encouraged  and  pushed  on  by  Russia,  they  have  meditated 
an  invasion  of  India.  The  news  of  the  failure  here  will  no 
doubt  moderate  their  ardour,  but  from  all  that  has  been 
learned  from  Afghans  who  have  come  into  the  town  during 
the  siege,  there  is  throughout  the  whole  country  a  feeling 
of  deep  excitement  at  the  prospect  of  another  Mohammedan 


A  STUEDY  DEFENCE  71 

invasion  of  India,  and  a  conviction  that  the  whole  country 
would  rise  and  join  the  Persians  were  they  to  advance  to 
Candahar. 

"  The  Afghans  consider  that  Eussian  influence  really 
means  Persian  influence,  whereas  we  know  that  it  is  just 
the  other  way,  and  that  Russia  only  uses  Persia  as  her 
cat's-paw.  As  for  the  Persians,  we  know  now  what  they 
are  worth,  and  that  a  British  division  would  be  sufficient 
to  smash  them  up.  But  the  Afghans  don't  know  that.  They 
believe  that  Persia  is  the  Persia  of  old,  and  that  with  her 
aid  they  could  assuredly  drive  the  British  out  of  India. 
This  being  the  state  of  feeling1,  your  chance  of  getting 
through  were  it  discovered  that  you  were  British  would  be 
small  indeed.  You  must  pass  as  a  Persian  who,  having  long 
traded  with  Herat,  has  learnt  the  Afghan  language.  It  would 
be  a  natural  story  that,  finding  that  Herat  is  ruined,  and 
that  there  can  be  no  trade  between  it  and  Persia  for  a  long 
time,  you  are  travelling  south  with  the  intention  of  fixing 
yourself  at  Candahar,  and  of  trading  between  that  town  and 
India  on  the  one  side  and  Persia  on  the  other.  You  can  ac- 
count for  your  not  having  merchandise  with  you  by  saying 
that  owing  to  the  presence  of  the  Persian  army,  and  marau- 
ders from  Herat,  and  the  general  disturbance  of  the  country, 
it  would  not  have  been  safe  to  travel  with  merchandise." 

"I  will  certainly  carry  out  your  plan,"  Angus  said.  "I 
don't  think  there  will  be  any  difficulty  in  getting  through. 
But  I  do  wish  that  you  were  coming  with  me." 

"  I  hope  it  will  not  be  very  long  before  I  follow  you, 
for  I  think  there  will  be  some  stirring  work  there  soon." 

Angus  was  well  provided  with  money.  He  had  received 
from  Mr.  M'Neill  a  sum  that  would  not  only  cover  all  the 
expenses  of  his  journey  to  Herat,  but  would  enable  him 
either  to  return  to  Teheran  or  proceed  to  India,  as  circum- 
stances might  determine.  In  addition  to  this,  he  had  received 


72  TO  HERAT  AND  CABUL 

a  year's  salary  in  recognition  of  the  risk  he  incurred.  He 
had  this  sum  still  in  his  possession.  The  money  he  had 
brought  from  Tabriz  he  had  left  at  the  embassy,  Mr.  M'Neill 
promising  to  send  an  order  for  the  amount  should  he  write 
for  it  from  India. 


CHAPTER  V 

IN  CANDAHAR 

ON  the  15th  of  September  Angus  started,  after  a  tearful 
farewell  from  his  Armenian  friends.  Their  gratitude 
to  him  and  Pottinger  was  unbounded.  The  presence  and 
influence  of  their  two  English  guests  had  preserved  them 
from  the  rapacity  and  cruelty  of  the  wuzeer,  while  all  other 
merchants  and  traders  in  the  town  had  been  maltreated  and 
robbed,  and  in  many  cases  had  died  under  the  tortures 
inflicted  to  wring  from  them  treasures  it  was  believed  they 
possessed.  Kajar  and  his  brother  and  their  families  alone 
enjoyed  an  immunity  from  persecution.  Both  had  de- 
termined that  they  would  leave  Herat,  and  taking  with  them 
their  workmen,  establish  themselves  at  Teheran  or  Tabriz, 
where  the  profit  of  their  work  might  be  less,  but  they  would 
at  least  be  able  to  enjoy  it  in  security,  such  as  could  never  be 
hoped  for  as  long  as  Yar  Mahomed  was  the  virtual  ruler  of 
Herat. 

The  period  that  had  elapsed  since  Angus  left  Teheran  had 
changed  him  much.  He  was  no  longer  a  boy,  for  he  had 
been  doing  man's  work.  He  was  now  nearly  eighteen  years 
old,  and  had  attained  his  full  height  of  nearly  six  feet.  His 
illness  had  pulled  him  down  much,  and  sharpened  his  features, 
and  except  for  his  lighter  colour,  he  really  more  closely 
resembled  an  Afghan  than  the  Persian  trader  he  was  dressed 


IN  CANDAHAB  73 

to  represent.  The  pallor  caused  by  his  illness  had  been  suc- 
ceeded by  a  deep  tan,  caused  by  his  passing  so  many  hours 
daily  in  the  sun  during  his  convalescence. 

"  I  am  glad  to  be  out  of  Herat,"  Azim  said,  as  he  looked 
back  at  the  walls. 

"  So  am  I,  Azim.  I  thought  at  one  time  that  I  was  never 
coming  out  at  all." 

"It  is  a  very  bad  place,  master.  In  Persia  the  governors 
squeeze  the  people  a  bit,  and  sometimes  there  is  much 
grumbling,  but  the  worst  of  them  are  very  much  better 
than  Yar  Mahomed,  who  is  a  son  of  Sheitan,  whom  may 
Allah  confound." 

"  He  is  a  scoundrel,"  Angus  agreed  heartily.  "  I  wonder 
myself  that  the  people  of  Herat  have  not  long  since  risen 
and  torn  him  to  pieces.  I  know  that  if  I  had  been  a  merchant 
there  I  should  have  tried  to  stir  them  up  to  do  it." 

Azim  shook  his  head.  "  They  cannot  trust  each  other, 
effendi.  There  are  many  who  would  like  to  do  as  you  have 
said,  but  there  are  many  who  cannot  trust  their  own  neigh- 
bours." 

"Then  I  would  do  it  myself.  Look  how  many  old  men 
were  tortured  to  death;  some  of  them  must  have  had  sons. 
Had  my  father  been  so  tortured  I  would  have  lain  in  wait 
for  the  wuzeer  day  after  day  in  some  empty  house — there 
are  plenty  of  them  in  one  of  the  streets  by  which  he  usually 
went  from  his  palace  to  the  walls — and  as  he  rode  past  I 
would  have  put  a  bullet  in  his  head.  I  would  then  have 
escaped  from  the  back  of  the  house  if  possible.  No  one 
would  have  seen  who  had  fired  the  shot,  and  I  should  have 
been  safe  if  once  away.  If  I  were  overtaken  I  would  put  a 
pistol  to  my  head,  so  as  to  avoid  being  tortured  to  death. 
I  cannot  understand  thirty  or  forty  thousand  people  con- 
tinuing to  support  the  rule  of  a  tyrant,  when  one  bold  man 
could  put  an  end  to  it." 


74  TO  HERAT  AND  CABUL 

Once  on  his  way  Angus  felt  new  life  in  his  veins,  and  in 
a  week  he  had  entirely  shaken  off  the  feeling  of  lassitude 
that  had  oppressed  him  in  the  poisoned  air  of  Herat,  and 
felt  equal  to  any  ordinary  exertion.  As  he  had  expected, 
he  met  with  no  difficulties  whatever  on  his  way,  for  on  the 
road  between  Herat  and  Candahar  the  Afghans  were  ac- 
customed to  see  Persian  traders  passing,  and  no  suspicion 
whatever  was  felt  that  Angus  and  his  attendant  were  other 
than  they  represented  themselves  to  be.  The  journey  was 
a  long  one,  but  Angus  did  not  hurry.  It  was  pleasant  to  him, 
after  being  for  a  year  cooped  up  in  the  besieged  city,  to 
travel  quietly  in  the  fresh  mountain  air.  The  scenery  was 
all  new  to  him,  and  though  Azim  felt  the  cold  a  good  deal, 
Angus  enjoyed  it  immensely.  He  made  short  stages,  and 
never  exceeded  twenty  miles  a  day,  and  often,  when  he 
arrived  at  a  village  which  offered  fair  accommodation,  he 
was  content  to  stay  when  only  fourteen  or  fifteen  had  been 
traversed.  As  this  was  the  great  high-road  of  trade  there 
were  khans  in  almost  every  village,  and  there  was  no  diffi- 
culty in  purchasing  the  necessaries  of  life.  Everywhere  the 
talk  was  of  war. 

Once  beyond  the  territory  over  which  Shah  Mahomed 
ruled,  the  news  that  the  Persians  had  failed  to  take  Herat 
and  had  retired  had  excited  regret.  It  had  been  regarded 
as  certain  that  the  place  would  fall,  and  all  had  anticipated 
the  march  of  a  Persian  and  Russian  army  to  Candahar,  to 
be  followed  by  a  grand  invasion  of  India.  The  mountain- 
eers had  felt  sure  that  the  army  would  gladly  pay  whatever 
was  demanded  for  permission  to  pass  unmolested;  that  they 
would  be  ready  to  pay  high  prices  for  provisions  and  the 
hire  of  transport  animals,  so  that  they  would  enrich  them- 
selves in  the  first  place,  and  then  have  a  chance  of  sharing 
in  the  plunder  of  India,  and  the  destruction  of  the  infidels. 
Angus  was  appealed  to  by  all  with  whom  he  conversed  to 


IN  CANDAHAR  75 

explain  how  it  was  that  the  Shah  with  his  great  army  had 
failed  to  take  Herat.  He  was  eagerly  questioned,  too,  with 
regard  to  Kussia,  a  country  of  which  they  had  heard  many 
strange  rumours.  Were  they  very  strong  ?  were  they  really  in 
alliance  with  Persia?  were  they  infidels?  if  so,  how  was  it 
that  the  Shah  was  friendly  with  them? 

To  the  first  of  these  questions  Angus  could  only  reply 
that,  not  having  been  in  the  Persian  camp,  he  was  unable 
to  give  them  information.  There  were  certainly  Russian 
generals  and  officers  leading  the  Persians  at  the  siege  of 
Herat.  They  were  infidels,  and  neighbours  of  the  Persians. 
For  himself,  he  thought  that  while  no  doubt  the  Shah  wished 
to  be  at  peace  with  such  powerful  neighbours,  he  would  be 
wise  not  to  trust  them  very  far.  He  could  not  really  wish 
for  them  to  become  more  powerful,  and  if  they  aided  him, 
it  could  only  be  for  their  own  objects.  As  a  peaceful  man  he 
himself  only  desired  to  trade,  and  left  these  matters  to 
wiser  heads.  But  at  the  same  time  he  knew  that  Russia 
was  constantly  extending  its  dominions  at  the  expense  of 
its  neighbours;  and  that,  as  it  was  a  Christian  country,  it 
certainly  could  not  be  thinking  of  invading  India  for  the 
benefit  of  the  Mohammedans  of  that  country,  or  those  of 
Afghanistan — certainly  not  those  of  Persia.  Whatever  the 
Shah  and  the  military  officers  might  think,  the  trading  classes 
were  uneasy  at  the  influence  that  Russia  was  gaining,  and 
apprehensive  of  the  growing  power  and  proximity  of  a 
neighbour  possessed  of  such  immense  forces,  and  of  ambitious 
views. 

Two  months  after  leaving  Herat  Angus  entered  Candahar. 
The  journey  had  been  wholly  without  any  incident  of  im- 
portance. The  appearance  of  Candahar  somewhat  resembled 
that  of  Herat.  Situated  in  a  fertile  plain,  with  a  range  of 
craggy  hills  at  no  great  distance,  and  surrounded  by  a  wall, 
it  was  incapable  of  offering  any  prolonged  resistance  to  the 


76  TO  HERAT  AND  CABTJL 

attack  of  a  European  force  provided  with  siege  artillery. 
The  town  was  a  comparatively  modern  one,  being  founded 
in  1754  on  the  site  of  an  ancient  city.  It  was  built  on  a 
regular  plan,  the  streets  all  crossing  each  other  at  right 
angles.  Like  Herat,  it  had  four  principal  streets  meeting  in 
the  centre,  each  of  these  150  feet  wide,  and  lined  with  shops. 
Streams  of  water  ran  down  almost  every  street. 

The  town  made  a  very  favourable  impression  on  Angus 
after  the  ruin  and  dirt  of  Herat.  As  a  Persian  he  felt  at 
home  here,  for  Persian  inscriptions  and  names  met  his  eye 
everywhere,  as  throughout  Afghanistan  the  whole  of  the 
trade  is  carried  on  by  Persians  or  by  natives  of  India,  the 
Afghans  themselves  deeming  the  profession  of  arms  the  only 
one  honourable.  The  upper  classes  among  them  all  habitually 
spoke  Persian;  which  language  was  generally  employed  in 
writing  and  in  all  official  communications.  Anglos  put  up 
at  a  khan  which  he  learned  was  frequented  by  traders  passing 
through  the  city,  and  soon  made  the  acquaintance  of  several 
merchants  lodging  there.  From  them  he  learned  much  more 
of  the  state  of  affairs  than  he  had  gathered  in  the  Afghan 
villages  he  had  passed  through  on  the  journey.  The  English 
were,  it  was  said,  gathering  a  great  army  in  Scinde  with 
the  intention  of  placing  Shah  Soojah  on  the  throne  of  Afghan- 
istan instead  of  Dost  Mahomed. 

Of  all  the  blunders  that  have  been  committed  from  the 
time  of  our  first  arrival  in  India,  none  is  comparable,  in 
point  of  injustice,  hopeless  blundering,  or  misfortune,  to 
the  policy  thus  inaugurated  in  Afghanistan.  Shah  Soojah 
was  the  head  of  the  Dooranee  tribe,  and  had  been  over- 
thrown by  the  Barukzyes,  who  had  gradually  attained  a 
power  which  the  Dooranee  monarch  was  unable  to  withstand. 
The  four  princes  of  that  tribe  divided  the  kingdom  between 
themselves,  and  after  waging  many  wars  against  each  other 
Dost  Mahomed,  the  youngest  of  the  four  brothers,  became 


IN  OANDAHAB  77 

ruler  of  Cabul.  During  these  wars  Peshawur  had  been  cap- 
tured by  the  great  Sikh  ruler,  Runjeet  Sing.  In  1834  Shah 
Soojah  made  an  effort  to  recover  his  kingdom,  but  was  de- 
feated, and  again  became  a  fugitive  in  British  India. 

Dost  Mahomed,  alarmed  at  the  preparations  made  by  the 
Sikhs  for  still  further  dismembering  his  country,  and  by 
the  fact  that  his  two  brothers,  who  were  Lords  of  Candahar, 
might  at  any  moment  take  advantage  of  his  troubles  with 
the  Sikhs  to  throw  off  his  authority  altogether,  was  anxious 
to  enter  into  an  alliance  with  the  British,  all  the  more  so  as 
he  had  learned  of  the  ever-increasing  influence  of  Russia  in 
Persia.  Lord  Auckland  sent  Captain  Burnes  to  Cabul; 
nominally  his  purpose  was  to  arrange  for  a  larger  commercial 
intercourse  between  the  two  countries.  He  was  received 
with  great  honour  in  Cabul,  but  he  had  come  altogether  un- 
provided with  the  customary  presents,  and  Dost  Mahomed 
reasonably  felt  this  as  a  studied  slight.  Nevertheless  he 
exerted  himself  to  the  utmost  to  obtain  the  alliance  of  the 
British.  But  Burnes  had  no  authority  whatever  to  treat 
with  him,  and  could  give  him  no  assurances  that  aid  would 
be  forthcoming  if,  on  the  fall  of  Herat,  which  was  con- 
sidered certain,  the  Persians  and  Russians,  aided  by  the 
Candahar  chiefs,  who  were  known  to  be  in  correspondence 
with  them,  were  to  invade  his  territory.  Nor  could  he  obtain 
any  promise  that  the  British  would  use  their  influence  with 
Runjeet  Sing  to  restore  Peshawur. 

Burnes  saw  how  sincere  was  the  desire  of  the  Ameer  for 
a  close  friendship  with  England,  and  wrote  strongly  to  Lord 
Auckland  in  favour  of  an  alliance  with  him.  He  pointed 
out  that  Dost  Mahomed  was  firmly  seated  at  Cabul,  where 
he  had  reigned  for  ten  years,  that  Shah  Soojah  had  no 
adherents,  and  even  if  placed  on  the  throne  could  not  main- 
tain himself  there.  Colonel  Pottinger,  the  resident  in 
Scinde,  also  gave  the  same  advice,  but  Lord  Auckland  paid 


78  TO  HERAT  AND  CABUL 

no  attention  whatever  to  their  representations.  A  weak  man, 
he  was  guided  chiefly  by  Mr.  MacNaghten,  his  secretary, 
a  comparatively  young  man,  with  great  ambition  and  an  un- 
bounded belief  in  himself,  but,  as  events  proved,  with  few  of 
the  qualities  required  in  a  man  placed  in  a  highly  responsible 
and  difficult  position  in  India.  Burnes  was  instructed  to 
insist  upon  the  Ameer's  binding  himself  to  make  no  alliances 
whatever  without  the  consent  of  England,  and  at  the  same 
time  he  was  to  refuse  to  give  any  pledges  in  return  for  such 
a  concession. 

A  more  preposterous  demand  was  never  made  upon  an 
independent  sovereign.  For  a  long  time  the  Ameer  strove 
in  vain  to  obtain  some  sort  of  conditions,  and  at  length, 
finding  this  hopeless,  he  threw  himself  into  the  arms  of  the 
Russian  agent,  whom  he  had  hitherto  treated  with  great 
coldness.  Burnes's  position  became  intolerable,  and  he  was 
recalled;  and  Lord  Auckland  at  once  prepared  to  place 
Shah  Soojah  on  the  throne  by  force.  Runjeet  Sing  was 
asked  to  join  in  the  undertaking,  and  at  a  great  durbar 
held  in  the  Punjaub,  the  conditions  were  arranged,  under 
which  Shah  Soojah  was  to  pay  a  large  amount  to  Runjeet 
as  well  as  to  the  British  for  the  aid  they  were  to  give  him. 
As  if  it  was  not  enough  to  have  united  all  Afghanistan 
against  us,  the  people  of  Scinde,  who  had  hitherto  been  on 
good  terms  with  us,  were  treated  as  if  they  were  enemies. 
They  were  ordered  to  furnish  provisions  and  carriage  for  the 
army,  and  to  pay  large  sums  of  money,  although  they  had, 
by  the  terms  of  a  treaty  with  us,  been  guaranteed  against 
any  claim  whatever  for  money  or  services.  It  would  seem, 
indeed,  that  Lord  Auckland  and  Mr.  MacNaghten  had 
neglected  no  step  whatever  that  could  ensure  the  failure  of 
their  enterprise.  When,  after  the  war,  the  papers  relating 
to  the  policy  that  had  occasioned  it  were  published  in  the 
form  of  a  blue-book,  it  is  significant  that  the  passages  in  the 


IN  CANDA£AB  79 

letters  of  Burnes  and  Pottinger  remonstrating  against  the 
course  proposed  by  Lord  Auckland  were  suppressed,  dis- 
honesty being  thus  added  to  the  terrible  blunders  of  the 
weakest  and  most  obstinate  of  the  governor-generals  of  India 
— blunders  that  caused  not  only  the  utter  destruction  of  a 
British  army,  but  led  to  an  almost  equally  unjust  war  for 
the  conquest  of  Scinde. 

As  far  as  Angus  could  learn  the  Candahar  princes  were 
making  no  preparations  whatever  to  take  part  in  the  war. 
The  general  idea  was  that  they  would  gladly  see  Dost 
Mahomed  overthrown  and  Shah  Soojah  placed  on  the  throne, 
feeling  certain  that  the  latter  would  not  be  able  to  retain 
his  position,  and  that  they  would  have  a  far  better  chance  of 
becoming  masters  of  the  whole  of  Afghanistan  then  than 
they  could  have  so  long"  as  their  brother  remained  on  the 
throne.  Three  days  after  his  arrival  an  officer  from  the 
palace  called  upon  Angus  and  requested  him  to  accompany 
him  there,  as  the  princes  wished  to  question  him  as  to  the 
reasons  for  the  Persians  retiring  from  before  Herat.  On 
arriving  at  the  palace  he  was  shown  into  a  small  chamber, 
where  Kihur-el-Khan,  with  two  of  his  brothers,  was  sitting. 

"  I  have  heard  that  you  have  arrived  here,  and  that  you 
passed  by  Herat  just  as  your  Shah  had  left  with  his  army." 

"  That  is  so,  Prince,"  Angus  said,  bowing  deeply. 

"You  have  come  hither  for  purposes  of  trade?  From 
what  city  do  you  come  ? " 

"From  Tabriz.  I  represent  one  of  the  largest  merchants 
there."  And  he  mentioned  the  name  of  a  well-known  trader. 
"  When  I  left  it  was  considered  certain  that  Herat  would 
speedily  be  captured,  and  that  the  Shah  would  move  forward 
here,  having,  it  was  said,  entered  into  an  alliance  with  you. 
'  Therefore,'  my  patron  said  to  me,  '  go  you  to  Candahar. 
Doubtless,  in  future,  trade  with  Northern  India  will  go  by 
that  route  instead  of  by  sea,  and  Candahar  will  be  a  mighty 


80  TO  HERAT  AND  CABUL 

centre  of  trade.  Therefore  go  and  see  for  yourself  what  are 
the  prospects,  and  the  price  at  which  goods  can  be  carried 
from  the  present  frontier  to  that  city  and  thence  into  Scinde. 
Find  out  for  me  whether  there  are  any  hindrances  to  trade 
along  the  road,  what  are  the  charges  for  permission  to  travel 
through  the  passes  held  by  various  tribes,  and  the  disposition 
of  the  people  towards  traders.'  " 

"  How  was  it  that  you  did  not  turn  back  when  you  found 
that  your  army  was  retiring  without  having  captured  Herat  ?  " 

"  I  thought  it  best  still  to  go  on  as  I  had  come  so  far," 
Angus  replied.  "  The  Shah,  it  is  true,  was  retiring,  but  he 
might  return  in  the  spring;  and  I  could  not  doubt  that  with 
your  powerful  friendship  he  would  the  next  time  succeed, 
and  the  information  that  I  should  gain  would  enable  my 
patron  to  send  off  without  delay  a  large  caravan  of  merchan- 
dise if  he  found  it  expedient  to  do  so." 

"  Were  you  in  the  Persian  camp  ? " 

"No,  your  highness.  An  army  when  it  is  retiring  is 
best  avoided  by  peaceful  men.  When  all  goes  well  the 
camp  officers  see  that  traders  are  not  meddled  with  by  the 
soldiers,  but  when  things  are  not  going  favourably  and 
there  is  discontent  in  camp,  discipline  is  relaxed,  and  it  is 
useless  for  those  who  are  robbed  or  maltreated  to  make 
complaints." 

"  That  is  no  doubt  true,  but  doubtless  you  heard  a  good 
deal  from  those  who  have  been  in  the  camp.  How  did  men 
say  it  was  that  they  failed  to  capture  Herat,  which  is  but  a 
weak  town  ?  " 

"  Some  say  one  thing  and  some  another,  your  highness. 
Some  declare  that  had  it  not  been  for  a  British  officer  who 
happened  to  be  there  the  place  would  have  fallen  in  a  very 
short  time.  Others  say  that  it  could  have  been  taken  easily 
had  all  the  Persian  generals  been  of  one  mind,  but  that 


IN  CANDAHAB  81 

each  acted  for  himself,  and  that  only  once  did  all  attack  at 
the  same  time." 

The  Prince  nodded.  He  had  seen  very  many  times  the 
evil  of  divided  counsels,  and  knew  how  necessary  it  was 
that  there  should  be  a  strong  leader  who  could  make  him- 
self obeyed  by  all.  ' 

"  And  what  do  people  say  about  the  Russians  ?  We  know 
that  they  had  officers  there.  We  hear  that  they  are  a  great 
people,  and  are  good  friends  with  Persians." 

"  Opinions  are  divided,  Prince.  There  are  those  who  be- 
lieve that  their  friendship  will  indeed  be  a  great  advantage 
to  Persia.  There  are  others,  especially  among  the  trading 
class,  who  think  otherwise,  and  believe  that  Russia  is  too 
strong  to  be  a  real  friend,  and  that  it  would  be  far  better 
to  maintain  a  close  alliance  with  England,  which  would  sup- 
port them  against  Russia,  and  which  lies  so  far  away  across 
the  seas  that  it  could  gain  nothing  by  meddling  in  her  affairs 
or  taking  her  territory." 

"  But  it  is  reported  that  it  is  the  English  who  have  now 
interfered  and  have  saved  Herat,  and  are  sending  a  fleet  and 
an  army  to  compel  Persia  to  desist." 

"  That  is  what  was  reported  and  generally  believed,  Prince, 
but  I  cannot  say  how  truly;  I  merely  heard  the  common 
talk  on  the  way." 

"  But  why  should  England  have  interfered  ?  What  does 
it  matter  to  them  whether  Herat  belongs  to  Persia  or  to  the 
Suddozye,  Prince  Kamran." 

"  According  to  the  opinion  of  the  traders  in  Tabriz,  Eng- 
land would  not  have  cared  at  all  had  Persia  been  strong  and 
been  fighting  only  for  the  conquest  of  Herat,  but  it  was 
known  that  England  regards  with  great  jealousy  the  ap- 
proach of  Russia  to  India,  and  considers  that  as  Persia  was 
certainly  acting  under  the  influence  of  Russia,  it  was  the 

(M807)  F 


82  TO  HERAT  AND  CABUL 

latter  who  would  be  the  real  masters  of  Herat,  and  not  the 
Persians.  Then,  too,  it  was  said — though  we  know  that 
rumour  often  lies — that  Russia  and  Persia  had  many  friends 
in  Afghanistan,  and  that  the  conquest  of  Herat  would  only 
be  the  first  step  to  further  advances  south." 

Kihur-el-Khan  frowned.  Such  an  undertaking  had  cer- 
tainly been  made  by  him  and  his  brothers,  but  the  retreat 
of  the  Persians  from  Herat  at  the  dictation  of  the  English, 
and  the  fact  that  the  latter  were  now  gathering  an  army 
with  the  avowed  purpose  of  placing  Shah  Soojah  on  the 
throne  of  Afghanistan,  gravely  altered  the  position.  They 
had  no  love  for  their  brother,  and  had  a  British  force  ad- 
vanced through  the  Khyber  passes  to  Cabul,  and  placed  Shah 
Soojah  on  the  throne,  they  would  certainly  have  rendered  no 
assistance  to  Dost  Mahomed,  for  they  felt  sure  that  Soojah 
would  not  be  able  to  maintain  himself,  and  saw  that  there 
was  a  good  chance  that  in  the  confusion  which  would  prevail, 
they  themselves  might  obtain  the  mastery  of  Cabul.  But 
as  the  English  army  was  evidently  intending  to  advance 
through  the  Bolan  Pass,  it  would  probably  in  the  first  place 
march  on  Candahar,  and  they  themselves  would,  in  conse- 
quence of  their  intrigues  with  Persia  and  Russia,  be  regarded 
as  enemies.  He  was  therefore  silent  for  a  minute  or  two, 
and  then  said:  "If  the  Shah  has  retired  because  he  is  afraid 
of  the  English,  he  will  not  venture  to  send  another  army  to 
aid  us  against  them." 

"  I  do  not  think  that  he  could  do  so.  His  army  suffered 
very  heavily." 

"  I  hear  that  you  speak  the  language  of  our  country.  How 
is  that  ?  "  the  Afghan  asked  suddenly. 

"  I  do  not  speak  it  well,  your  highness,"  replied  Angus, 
who  had  thought  is  possible  that  this  question  might  be  asked 
him.  "Having  known  for  some  time  that  I  should  make 
this  journey  hither,  I  studied  for  a  time  with  a  slave  who 


IN  CANDAHAB  83 

had  been  bought  by  a  merchant  of  my  employer's  acquaint- 
ance, who  had  himself  bought  him  from  the  Turkomans  in 
a  journey  that  he  made  in  their  country.  But  I  speak  it 
only  well  enough  to  make  my  way  through  the  country,  and 
to  obtain  such  necessaries  as  may  be  required  on  the  journey, 
and  to  converse  in  some  fashion  with  such  travellers  as  I 
might  meet  on  the  road  or  in  the  khans." 

"It  was  reported  to  me  that  you  spoke  so  that  all  could 
understand  you,"  he  said.  "  It  was  this  that  seemed  strange 
to  me  that  you,  a  Persian,  should  speak  Pushtoo.  I  will 
speak  to  you  further  another  day." 

As  Angus  returned  to  the  khan,  he  felt  that  he  was  an 
object  of  suspicion.  Up  to  the  point  when  the  Prince  had 
sharply  and  suddenly  asked  how  he  came  to  speak  Pushtoo, 
his  bland  manner  had  led  him  to  believe  that  he  had  been 
simply  desirous  of  obtaining  the  last  news  from  the  frontier. 
But  this  showed  him  unmistakably  that  the  Prince  had 
learned  something  which  had  excited  his  suspicions  that  he 
was  there  either  as  an  emissary  from  Kamran,  or  of  Russia 
or  Persia,  desirous  of  ascertaining  the  position  of  affairs  at 
Candahar,  the  forces  at  the  disposal  of  the  princes,  and  the 
feeling  among  the  people  in  general  with  reference  to  a 
protectorate,  or  occupation  by  one  or  other  of  those  powers. 
Angus  knew  the  naturally  suspicious  character  of  Eastern 
princes.  In  Persia  no  one  ever  ventured  to  discuss  any  public 
affairs  openly.  In  Herat,  hated  as  Kamran  and  Yar  Ma- 
homed were,  no  one  dared  breathe  a  word  of  aught  but 
adulation,  for  the  slightest  suspicion  of  disloyalty  sufficed 
to  bring  about  the  ruin  and  death  of  the  unfortunate  man 
on  whom  it  fell. 

The  last  words  of  the  Prince  were  in  fact  a  sentence  of 
imprisonment  to  the  city  for  an  indefinite  time.  The  Prince 
might  not  send  for  him  again  for  months.  But  the  mere 
intimation  that  he  would  do  so  was  sufficient.  He  could  not 


84  TO  HERAT  AND  CABUL 

continue  his  journey  without  running  the  risk  of  being 
pursued  and  brought  back  again,  in  which  case  he  might 
first  be  tortured  to  extract  any  secret  he  might  possess,  and 
then  be  put  to  death.  He  might,  for  aught  he  knew,  be 
already  spied  upon,  and  everything  that  he  said  or  did 
reported.  Consequently,  when  he  reached  the  khan,  he  took 
care  to  evince  no  appearance  of  thoughtfulness  or  uneasi- 
ness, but  chatted  with  the  traders  there  upon  commercial 
matters,  respecting  the  advantages  of  Cabul  and  Candahar  as 
trading  centres,  the  amount  of  the  taxes  laid  upon  goods  in 
the  two  cities,  and  other  topics  that  would  naturally  be  of 
interest  to  a  merchant  intending  to  establish  himself  in 
Afghanistan. 

He  was  under  no  uneasiness  as  to  Azim.  He  had  instructed 
him  carefully  in  the  account  he  should  give  of  himself,  the 
city  from  which  he  came,  the  merchants  whose  agent  he  was, 
the  route  he  had  followed,  and  other  similar  matters,  so 
that  their  stories  should  correspond  in  all  respects.  When 
all  had  lain  down  for  the  night,  Angus  was  able  to  think  over 
quietly  what  was  to  be  done.  As  to  remaining  where  he 
was,  it  was  clearly  out  of  the  question.  For  aught  he  knew, 
the  British  force  said  to  be  gathering  to  advance  on  Cabul 
might  be  months  before  it  was  put  in  motion,  or  the  expedi- 
tion might  be  abandoned  altogether.  Even  if  the  advance 
was  made,  it  might  not  pass  through  Candahar,  and  he  might 
be  detained  in  that  city  for  an  indefinite  time.  It  was  evi- 
dent, therefore,  that  he  must  somehow  escape.  The  question 
was  how  this  could  be  managed.  What  disguise  could  he 
adopt,  and  how  could  he  evade  the  vigilance  of  those  who 
were  watching  him?  The  matter  was  rendered  all  the  more 
difficult  by  the  fact  that  there  were  practically  but  two  roads 
open  to  him,  that  through  the  Kojak  Pass  to  Quettah,  and 
that  to  the  north-east  through  Kelat-i-Ghilzye  and  Ghuznee 
to  Cabul.  If  he  moved  off  either  of  these  regular  lines  of 


IN  CANDAHAB  85 

traffic  he  would  be  unable  to  give  any  reason  for  his  diver- 
gence, and  in  any  case  would  be  subject  to  plunder.  Even 
on  these  roads  it  was  only  as  a  travelling  merchant  he  would 
be  respected,  and  as  a  travelling  merchant  he  would  be 
quickly  overtaken  by  the  Prince's  followers. 

Think  as  he  would,  no  plan  occurred  to  him,  and  he  at 
last  went  to  sleep  determining  to  consult  Azim,  in  whose 
sharpness  he  had  much  faith.  In  the  morning,  accordingly, 
as  soon  as  he  was  up,  he  sauntered  across  the  yard  to  where 
the  boy  was  watching  the  horses  feed,  and  preventing  other 
less  fortunate  animals  from  robbing  them. 

"Azim,"  he  said,  "the  Princes  have  their  suspicions  of 
me,  and  have  as  much  as  ordered  me  not  to  leave  the  town; 
try  and  think  over  some  manner  in  which  we  may  get  away, 
and  if  overtaken  may  not  be  recognized.  I  do  not  wish  to 
talk  with  you  now,  because  for  aught  we  know  a  spy  may  be 
at  present  watching  us,  but  at  mid-day  I  will  come  out  and 
speak  to  you  again.  In  the  meantime  think  it  over.  Now, 
when  the  horses  have  done  feeding,  take  your  basket,  go 
into  the  bazaar,  and  buy  food  for  our  dinner,  so  that  any- 
one who  may  be  watching  us  may  suppose  that  I  have  merely 
been  giving  you  orders  what  to  purchase." 

He  then  went  out  into  the  town,  and  spent  the  morning 
looking  into  the  shops,  and  asking  questions  as  to  the  prices 
of  the  goods,  so  that  he  might  appear  to  be  ascertaining 
what  profits  would  be  made.  He  also  went  to  several  shops 
which  happened  to  be  untenanted,  asked  the  rent,  and  made 
enquiries  about  the  accommodation.  At  dinner-time  he  went 
over  to  where  Azim  was  squatting,  attending  to  two  earth- 
enware pots  that  were  simmering  over  a  small  charcoal  fire, 
which  he  was  fanning  to  keep  it  going. 

"  I  can  think  of  nothing,  master." 

"  Then  to-night,  Azim,  after  everyone  is  asleep,  get  up 
quietly  and  go  round  to  the  ba.ck  of  the  khan.  I  will  join 


86  TO  HERAT  AND  CABUL 

you  there,  and  we  will  talk  it  over  together.  Do  not  be  sur- 
prised if  I  keep  you  waiting  some  time.  Some  of  these 
people  may  sit  up  late  talking.  I  cannot  move  till  all  are 
asleep.  It  is  quite  possible  that  someone  who  is  lodging 
at  the  khan  may  be  watching  us." 

It  was  indeed  late  before  the  talk  ceased  and  all  lay  down 
to  sleep.  Angus  waited  for  another  hour  and  then  got  up 
quietly  and  went  out.  Two  minutes  later  he  joined  Azim. 

"  Well,  lad,  have  you  thought  of  any  plan  yet  ? " 

"  Nothing,  master ;  unless  we  leave  our  animals  and  goods 
behind  us." 

"  That  we  could  do,"  Angus  said.  "  I  can  get  rid  of  the 
goods  to-morrow.  Why  leave  the  animals?' 

"Because,  sir,  they  will  be  looking  for  a  man  with  a  fair 
complexion,  and  a  boy,  mounted  on  horses." 

"  That  is  so ;  but  if  we  left  the  horses  behind  us  and 
walked  it  would  be  just  as  bad." 

"  I  did  not  think  of  walking,  master.  I  thought  that  per- 
haps you  might  buy  a  camel  and  go  on  that." 

"  That  would  be  better  certainly,  Azim.  We  might  both 
darken  our  faces,  and  in  my  Afghan  dress  might  make  our 
way  easily  enough,  if  it  were  not  that  we  should  be  hotly 
pursued,  and  then  a  man  and  boy,  however  they  were  dressed, 
or  however  they  were  travelling,  would  be  sure  to  be  closely 
examined.  I  have  it !  "  he  said  after  a  pause.  "  You  might 
go  as  a  woman;  well  wrapped  up,  little  more  than  your  eyes 
would  be  seen.  You  might  ride  on  the  camel,  and  I  might 
lead  it.  In  that  way  we  might  pass  as  natives  of  some  village 
among  the  hills.  The  first  difficulty,  however,  is  how  to  buy 
a  camel.  I  have  my  Afghan  dress,  and,  if  I  were  sure  that 
I  was  not  watched,  could  get  to  some  quiet  spot,  change  my 
Persian  dress  for  it,  and  go  boldly  into  a  shop  and  buy  a 
woman's  clothes  for  you;  I  could  then  go  down  into  the 
quarter  where  the  tribesmen  encamp  and  buy  a  camel.  But 


IN  OANDAHAB  87 

if  I  were  caught  doing  so,  it  would  be  almost  proof  positive 
that  I  was  going  to  try  to  leave  the  city,  and  in  that  case 
I  should  no  doubt  be  arrested  and  thrown  into  prison  at 
once." 

"We  might  steal  one,"  Azim  suggested.  "There  are 
many  always  grazing  outside  the  wall  while  their  masters 
are  here  doing  their  business." 

u  Yes,  but  they  have  not  saddles.  However,  I  will  think  it 
over,  Azim.  Your  idea  about  having  a  camel  has  certainly 
shown  me  a  way  in  which  we  can  get  away  if  it  is  managed 
well,  and  I  ought  to  be  able  to  find  some  plan  by  which  we 
can  carry  it  out.  It  is  of  no  use  talking  any  longer  over  it, 
there  is  no  hurry  for  a  day  or  two;  and  the  longer  I  appear 
to  be  really  engaged  in  looking  for  a  place  of  business,  the 
more  careless  the  watch  may  become." 

Angus  did  not  go  to  sleep  that  night,  but  thinking  the 
situation  over  in  every  way  decided  that  the  first  step  to  be 
taken  was  to  ascertain  for  certain  whether  they  were  watched. 
If  they  were  not,  the  matter  would  be  comparatively  easy, 
but  if  his  every  movement  were  followed,  he  could  see  no 
way  out  of  the  difficulty.  When  he  paid  his  usual  visit  to 
Azim  in  the  morning,  he  said :  "  I  want  to  find  out  if  I  am 
followed.  I  will  walk  straight  along  this  street  towards  the 
southern  gate.  When  I  get  to  the  last  turning  to  the  left, 
I  will  turn  up  it;  then  I  shall  be  out  of  the  crowd.  Do  you 
keep  a  good  long  way  behind  me.  I  shall  go  on  for  some  dis- 
tance, and  then  mount  the  wall  and  walk  along  there,  looking 
over  the  country.  I  want  you  to  observe  if  any  man  follows 
me.  You  must  be  so  far  off  that  even  if  he  looks  round  he 
will  not  recognize  you.  I  don't  want  you  to  find  out  this 
time  who  he  is,  we  can  do  that  later  on ;  I  only  want  to  know 
if  I  am  followed.  Each  time  I  turn  a  corner  he  is  likely  to 
look  round  before  he  turns,  eo  when  you  see  him  getting"  near 
a  corner  that  I  have  turned,  hide  yourself  if  you  can." 


88  TO  HERAT  AND  CABUL 

"  I  understand,  master." 

Accordingly,  when  half  an  hour  later  Angus  came  out, 
the  lad  waited  for  a  time,  and  then  followed  him.  His  master 
was  out  of  sight,  and  Azim  walked  quickly  till  he  saw  him 
looking  as  usual  into  one  of  the  shops,  and  then  dropped 
behind  again  and  followed  slowly  until  Angus  turned  off  the 
street  that  he  had  named.  Azim  walked  still  more  slowly, 
and  on  reaching  the  corner  saw  him  a  considerable  distance 
ahead.  There  were  but  a  few  people  about,  for  beyond  the 
four  principal  streets  were  many  large  open  spaces  dotted 
here  and  there  with  ruined  walls  of  houses  that  had  stood 
there  at  the  time  when  the  city  was  far  more  populous  than  it 
was  at  present.  Angus  was  walking  at  a  steady  pace,  as  if 
he  had  some  definite  object  in  view,  and  of  the  various  people 
in  sight  only  one,  who  was  about  half  way  between  him  and 
Azim,  was  walking  at  anything  like  the  same  rate.  A  hun- 
dred yards  farther  Angus  turned  to  the  right.  Azim  kept 
on  until  he  saw  the  man  he  was  watching  was  close  to  that 
point;  he  then  stepped  aside  into  an  empty  piece  of  ground 
between  two  houses.  Half  a  minute  later  he  looked  out;  the 
man  was  no  longer  visible.  He  walked  on  fast  until  he 
reached  the  corner,  and  saw  the  man  again  turn  off  after 
Angus.  They  were  near  the  wall  now,  and  the  boy  went 
forward  with  greater  caution  than  before.  When  he  got  to 
.  where  he  had  last  seen  his  master,  he  caught  sight  of  him 
on  the  wall  some  fifty  yards  away.  The  man  who  had  been 
following  him  had  stopped  at  a  low  wall,  and  over  it  was 
watching  Angus  furtively.  That  settled  the  point,  and  Azim 
at  once  returned  to  the  khan.  It  was  an  hour  later  before 
Angus  came  in.  He  did  not  pay  any  attention  to  Azim,  but 
went  in  and  engaged  in  talk  as  usual  with  some  of  the  occu- 
pants. It  was  an  hour  before  he  came  out  to  the  yard. 

"Well,  lad?"  he  asked. 

"  You  were  watched,  master.    A  man  followed  you  ail  the 


AN  ESCAPE  89 

way,  and  hid  behind  a  wall  to  watch  you  when  you  went  on 
the  wall.  I  thought  at  the  time  that  I  might  have  crept  up 
to  him  and  stabbed  him  if  I  had  wanted  to,  but  of  course  I 
would  not  without  your  orders." 

"  No,  that  would  not  have  done  at  all  till  we  are  ready  to 
go;  and  I  don't  like  stabbing  anyhow.  Still,  I  will  think  it 
over.  Come  round  again  to  the  same  meeting-place  to-night; 
by  that  time  I  shall  have  decided  what  to  do. 


CHAPTER  VI 

AN    ESCAPE 

44T  THINK,  Azim,"  Angus  said,  when  they  met  that  night 
A  "  you  must  buy  some  clothes  for  yourself.  You  may 
be  pretty  sure  that  no  one  is  watching  you.  You  must  not  get 
them  at  any  shop  in  the  main  street,  because  there  are  always 
passers-by  who  stop  and  listen  to  the  bargains  made ;  but  there 
are  some  by-streets  where  there  are  a  few  shops.  Of  course 
you  will  go  into  a  Persian's.  If  you  give  a  fair  price — not 
too  high,  you  know,  so  as  to  seem  too  anxious  to  buy — I  don't 
suppose  he  will  trouble  much  what  you  may  want  them  for. 
You  must  make  out  some  likely  story — say,  for  example,  that 
your  master  keeps  a  sharp  look-out  over  you,  and  that  you 
want  to  be  able  to  go  out  sometimes  in  such  a  dress  that  he 
would  not  know  you  if  he  met  you.  I  don't  know  that  that 
is  a  good  excuse,  but  I  am  unable  to  think  of  a  better  one. 
All  you  will  want  will  be  a  long  white  robe  coming  over  the 
head  and  down  to  the  eye-brows,  and  falling  to  the  feet;  and 
a  white  cloth  coming  across  the  face  below  the  eyes,  and  fall- 
ing down  over  the  throat.  There  is  no  occasion  to  buy  other 
garments.  A  rug  torn  asunder  and  wrapped  round  the  waist, 


90  TO  HERAT  AND  CABUL 

falling  to  the  feet,  so  as  to  fill  up  the  outside  robe,  is  all  that 
will  be  required.  But  the  more  I  think  of  it,  Azim,  the 
greater  appears  the  difficulty  about  the  camel;  indeed,  now 
that  we  have  ascertained  about  this  spy,  it  seems  to  me  hardly 
possible  to  make  a  start  without  being  pursued  at  once." 

Azim  nodded  approvingly.  "  That  is  just  what  I  think, 
master.  But  I  could  put  a  knife  into  him,  and  then  all 
trouble  would  be  over." 

"  I  don't  like  the  idea  of  killing  the  man,  Azim." 

"  You  killed  many  men  at  Herat." 

"  That  was  in  battle,  which  is  a  very  different  thing  from 
stabbing  a  man  to  enable  us  to  get  away." 

Azim  shook  his  head.  This  was  quite  beyond  him.  "  He 
is  fighting  against  you  now,  master.  If  the  princes  find  out 
that  you  are  English  they  will  put  you  in  a  dungeon  and 
most  likely  kill  you,  and  kill  me  too,  so  as  to  shut  my  mouth. 
This  man  is  paid  to  act  as  a  spy  on  you.  Why  not  kill  him? 
Thousands  of  people  were  killed  or  died  at  Herat.  I  cannot 
understand  why  one  man  should  not  be  killed,  when  we  can 
perhaps  get  free  away  if  he  is  dead." 

"  If  he  found  us  escaping  and  attacked  us,  we  could  kill 
him,  Azim,  but  it  is  not  an  Englishman's  way  to  kill  men, 
except  in  fight." 

Azim  shook  his  head.    To  his  mind  this  was  very  foolish. 

"  Perhaps  we  might  make  him  prisoner,  Azim." 

"  Where  could  we  put  him  in  prison  ? "  Azim  enquired, 
with  his  eyes  wide  open  in  surprise. 

"  I  don't  mean  in  a  prison,  Azim,  I  mean  in  some  empty 
house  or  some  out-of-the-way  place;  we  might  tie  his  arms 
and  legs  and  gag  him." 

Azim's  eyes  twinkled.  "I  see,  master,  you  do  not  like  to 
use  a  knife.  Good,  we  can  bind  and  hide  him.  Perhaps  no 
one  would  come  for  a  long  time,  may  be  a  year,  and,  finding 


AN  ESCAPE  91 

only  a  skeleton,  would  not  bother  about  him.  He  would  just 
say  it  was  some  fellow  killed  by  robbers." 

"  No,  no,  Azim,"  Angus  said  in  a  tone  of  horror.  "  I 
never  thought  of  such  a  thing.  No  doubt  someone  would 
come  along  and  let  him  out." 

"  Someone  might  come,  master.  He  might  come  a  few 
minutes  after  we  had  gone,  then  they  would  catch  us  at 
once.  If  someone  did  not  come  in  an  hour,  why  should  he 
come  in  a  week  or  a  month  ? " 

Angus  was  silent.  "  No,  Azim,  you  don't  quite  under- 
stand me.  I  meant  that  he  should  be  gagged  and  bound  after 
dark,  and  then  be  left  in  some  place  a  little  distance  from 
the  road,  where  he  would  not  be  seen  till  morning.  Then 
the  first  person  who  came  along  would  turn  aside  and  look  at 
him,  and  he  would  be  loosed,  but  we  should  have  got  twelve 
hours'  start." 

"  That  would  be  a  good  plan,  master.  But  how  should 
we  get  the  camel  ? " 

"  In  that  case  we  should  make  a  start  without  it,  for  we 
might  ride  fifty  miles,  perhaps  a  good  deal  more  than  that, 
before  it  would  be  discovered  that  we  had  gone.  We  could 
do  that  in  our  present  dress,  and  then  I  could  put  on  my 
Afghan  clothes  and  go  into  a  village  off  the  road  and  say 
that  the  horses  were  tired  and  that  I  wanted  to  go  on,  and 
so  buy  a  camel." 

Azim  shook  his  head.  "  Anyone  who  wanted  to  go  on  fast, 
master,  would  not  buy  a  camel." 

Angus  uttered  an  exclamation  of  disgust,  and  Azim  struck 
another  blow  at  his  plan  by  saying,  "  How  would  you  get  the 
horses  out,  master?  The  gates  are  shut  at  dark.  You  could 
not  tie  up  the  spy  till  after  the  gates  were  shut,  and  in  the 
morning  he  might  be  found,  and  we  should  be  caught  as  we 
went  out." 


92  TO  HEBAT  AND  CABUL 

"  I  am  getting  altogether  stupid,"  Angus  said.  "  Of  course 
you  are  right;  the  horses  could  not  be  sent  out  beforehand, 
for  if  the  spy  saw  them  going  out  he  would  at  once  inform 
his  employers,  and  I  should  be  arrested.  Ah,  I  have  an  idea ! 
That  trader  from  Scinde,  who  arrived  here  yesterday,  was 
saying  that  as  he  intended  to  stay  here  for  some  time  he 
would  sell  his  horses  if  he  could  get  a  fair  price  for  them.  I 
might  say  that  I  would  buy  two  of  them,  as  they  are  better 
than  mine,  and  as  I  wanted  to  travel  fast,  I  would  give  him 
my  two  and  some  money  for  them.  I  dare  say  he  would  be 
willing  to  do  that,  as  our  horses  would  sell  more  easily  than 
his.  One  can  always  sell  a  poor  horse,  while  one  might  have 
to  wait  some  time  before  finding  a  purchaser  for  a  good  one. 
I  don't  suppose  really  there  is  much  difference  in  value  be- 
tween his  and  mine,  and  he  would  think  he  was  making  a 
good  bargain.  I  should  say  that  for  certain  reasons,  which 
it  would  not  be  necessary  to  explain  to  him,  it  must  be  a 
part  of  the  bargain  that  he  should  deliver  them  outside  the 
city,  and  that  one  of  his  men  should  take  them  out  during 
the  day  and  wait  for  us  at  a  spot  we  could  agree  upon." 

"  That  would  be  a  capital  plan,  master." 

"  Then  we  will  carry  it  out,  Azim." 

"  Shall  I  get  the  woman's  dress  ? " 

"Yes,  you  may  as  well  do  that.  We  may  want  all  sorts 
of  disguises  before  we  get  down.  We  need  not  talk  any 
longer  now;  at  any  rate  we  certainly  shall  not  try  the  plan 
to-morrow.  We  must  not  appear  in  any  hurry  with  the 
trader,  and  there  are  several  things  we  shall  have  to  talk 
over  when  I  have  struck  a  bargain  with  him." 

The  next  night  Angus  was  able  to  inform  his  follower 
that  he  had  made  his  arrangements  with  the  Scinde  trader. 
"  I  am  to  buy  his  horses,"  he  said,  "  and  he  will  deliver  them 
in  the  way  I  want.  Without  saying  it,  he  evidently  under- 
stood that  I  wanted  to  get  quietly  out  of  the  city  to  escape 


AN  ESCAPE  93 

some  trouble.  He  asked  a  very  reasonable  price,  but  he 
would  have  nothing  to  do  with  my  horses.  He  said  that  if 
there  should  be  any  trouble  about  my  leaving,  the  change  of 
horses  might  be  noticed.  If  he  said  he  had  bought  them  of 
me,  and  sold  me  two  of  his,  he  might  get  into  trouble  too. 
However,  I  afterwards  talked  to  one  of  the  other  merchants, 
who  was  going  away  in  a  day  or  two,  and  told  him  that  I 
might  be  kept  here  for  a  considerable  time,  and  should 
therefore  be  glad  to  get  rid  of  my  horses.  He  said  he  would 
be  glad  to  buy  them,  as  he  was  taking  down  a  number  of 
Heratee  carpets  and  other  things.  So  we  struck  a  bargain 
at  once,  and  he  paid  me  the  money  and  I  gave  him  the 
receipt. 

"  I  said  that  you  would  continue  to  look  after  the  horses 
as  usual  until  we  started,  so  that  matter  is  quite  apanged. 
The  Scinde  man  will  keep  the  horses  I  have  bought  with 
his  others  till  he  sends  them  out  through  the  gate.  When 
he  does  so,  he  will  put  our  saddles  on  them.  Now  for  our 
plans  to-morrow.  I  shall  go  out  as  usual  in  the  morning; 
the  spy  will  of  course  follow  me.  While  I  am  away  make 
up  our  rugs  and  disguises  and  fasten  them  upon  the  saddles, 
and  take  these  to  the  new  horses,  so  that  the  trader's  servant 
will  put  them  on  with  the  saddles  and  take  them  out  with 
the  horses  before  sunset.  He  is  to  stop  at  those  three  palm- 
trees  that  grow  by  the  roadside  a  quarter  of  a  mile  out  of 
the  town.  Even  if  the  spy  is  looking  on  as  they  go  out  of 
the  yard,  he  will  have  no  idea  that  I  have  anything  to  do  with 
the  horses. 

"  When  you  have  seen  to  that,  you  will  buy  twenty  yards 
of  rope  for  us  to  get  down  over  the  wall.  I  shall  start  at 
about  four  o'clock.  I  shall  go  exactly  the  same  way  as  I 
did  the  last  time  you  followed  me.  It  is  a  very  lonely  part 
there.  He  is  sure  to  watch  me  very  closely,  as  he  will  wonder 
why  I  choose  that  way  for  my  walks.  I  shall  stay  there 


94  TO  HEBAT  AND  OABUL 

for  a  bit,  and  shall  lean  over  the  wall  as  if  I  were  calculating 
its  depth  and  intended  to  make  my  escape  there.  He  is  sure 
to  be  intent  on  watching  my  movements,  and  will  get  up  as 
close  as  he  can.  Then  is  your  time  to  steal  up.  Do  you 
think  that  you  can  do  it  without  his  hearing  you?  If  not, 
I  should  think  that  a  better  plan  will  be  for  you  to  hide 
close  to  the  way  we  shall  come  back.  I  shall  not  return  till 
it  is  beginning  to  get  dark,  and  he  will  probably  keep  closer 
to  me  than  he  would  going,  so  as  to  better  watch  my  move- 
ments. When  he  comes  along  you  will  spring  out  and  knock 
him  down,  and  I  will,  as  you  shout,  run  back  to  your  assist- 
ance." 

"  I  shall  not  want  any  assistance,  master,"  Azim  said  con- 
fidently. "I  am  sure  I  am  quite  as  strong  as  he  is,  and  as 
I  shall  take  him  by  surprise  I  shall  have  no  difficulty  in 
managing  him." 

"Don't  use  your  sword,  Azim." 

"  No,  master,  I  will  get  a  thick  stick." 

"  Of  course  you  will  bring  the  rope  with  you,  Azim ;  the 
twenty  yards  will  be  ample  to  spare  a  length  to  tie  him  up 
with,  and  to  reach  to  the  ground  from  the  top  of  the  wall. 
You  may  as  well  put  enough  food  for  a  couple  of  days  in 
the  saddle-bags,  and  a  supply  of  grain  for  the  horses,  then 
we  shall  not  have  to  stop  to  buy  anything." 

The  day  passed  quietly.  Azim  bought  the  heaviest  staff 
that  he  could  find,  and  brought  it  back  and  stowed  it  away 
during  his  master's  absence,  as  he  did  not  think  that  the 
latter  would  approve  of  its  weight.  He  considered  his  mas- 
ter's objection  to  his  stabbing  the  spy  to  be  a  weakness 
which  he  was  quite  unable  to  understand.  At  four  o'clock 
Angus  started,  and  a  few  minutes  later  the  trader's  servant 
led  the  two  horses  he  had  bought  through  the  streets  and 
out  at  the  southern  gate.  Azim  waited  till  he  saw  him  go, 
as  there  was  no  occasion  for  him  to  follow  the  spy  closely, 


AN  ESCAPE  95 

and  indeed  it  had  been  arranged  that  he  should  not  do  so, 
lest  the  spy  should  this  time  notice  him  and  perhaps  take 
alarm.  He  therefore  strolled  leisurely  along  until  he  neared 
the  spot  where  Angus  was  standing  on  the  wall.  The  spy 
had  taken  up  his  post  nearer  to  him  than  before,  and  was 
evidently  watching  narrowly  what  he  was  doing.  As  he 
might  turn  round  suddenly,  Azim  seated  himself  behind  a 
ruined  hut  within  a  couple  of  yards  of  the  road,  and  there 
patiently  waited  until,  as  darkness  fell,  Angus  came  along. 

"  I  am  here,  master,"  Azim  said. 

"  Take  care  of  yourself,"  Angus  replied  without  stopping1; 
"he  will  probably  have  pistols,  and  certainly  a  knife." 

"  All  right,  master." 

Azim  stood  up  now  grasping  the  heavy  staff  firmly  in 
both  hands.  Listening  intently  he  heard  a  minute  later  a 
soft  footstep,  and  the  spy  passed  him  keeping  his  eye  fixedly 
on  the  figure  ahead  of  him.  Azim  sprang  out,  and  swinging 
his  staff  round  his  head,  brought  it  with  all  his  strength 
against  the  back  of  the  man's  head,  just  below  his  turban. 
He  fell  without  a  sound. 

"  He  is  down,  master,"  the  lad  cried. 

Angus,  who  had  been  listening  for  the  sound  of  a  struggle 
and  had  heard  the  blow,  came  running  back. 

"Why,  it  was  almost  like  the  sound  of  a  pistol,"  he  said, 
as  he  saw  the  motionless  figure. 

"  Yes,  master,  I  was  obliged  to  hit  him  hard,  because,  as 
you  said,  he  might  have  pistols." 

"  You  have  stunned  him,"  Angus  went  on,  going  up  to  the 
prostrate  figure.  "  Now,  cut  off  a  length  of  that  rope  and 
we  will  tie  him  up  securely." 

He  tied  the  man's  legs,  and  then  turned  him  over.  The 
inertness  of  the  body  struck  him,  and  he  placed  his  ear  over 
his  heart.  "He  is  dead,"  he  said.  "He  is  not  breathing, 
and  his  heart  is  not  beating.  You  have  hit  him  too  hard." 


96  TO  HERAT  AND  CABUL 

"Well,  I  did  hit  him  hard,  master.  It  is  a  misfortune, 
but  perhaps  it  is  all  for  the  best.  Undoubtedly  it  was  Allah's 
will  that  he  should  die." 

"Well,  it  cannot  be  helped,"  Angus  said,  "and  undoubt- 
edly it  will  make  it  safer  for  us.  Well,  let  us  move  on." 

"  Do  you  go  on,  master,  and  I  will  take  his  clothes  off  and 
drag  him  into  this  hut.  He  may  lie  there  for  months  before 
anyone  comes  along  and  looks  in." 

"  Very  well,  I  will  walk  on  to  the  wall ;  don't  be  long." 

Five  minutes  later  Azim  rejoined  him  carrying  a  bundle. 

"  We  do  not  want  to  be  bothered  with  the  clothes,"  Angus 
said. 

"  No,  master ;  but  if  we  left  them  there,  they  might  be 
found  to-morrow  morning.  Someone  might  recognize  the 
man  by  them,  so  I  thought  it  would  be  better  to  carry  them 
away  with  us  for  a  few  miles,  and  then  throw  them  in  some 
bushes.  I  have  got  his  pistols  and  knife.  He  was  well  paid, 
master;  he  had  ten  gold  pieces  in  his  sash — here  they  are." 

"  Put  them  in  your  own  pocket,  Azim.  I  do  not  want  to 
have  anything  to  do  with  them;  they  are  your  spoil." 

Azim,  who  had  no  compunction  in  the  matter,  at  once  put 
the  little  bag  into  his  sash.  The  rope  was  now  fastened  to  the 
battlement,  and  they  slid  down.  The  wall  was  about  forty 
feet  high,  and  unprovided  with  a  moat.  They  started  at  once 
for  the  place  where  the  horses  were  to  be  waiting  for  them ; 
a  quarter  of  an  hour's  brisk  walk  took  them  there.  Angus 
made  a  present  to  the  man  in  charge  of  them,  who,  while  they 
were  tightening  the  girths,  at  once  wrapped  himself  in  the 
blanket  he  had  brought  out  and  lay  down  to  sleep  till  morn- 
ing. 

"We  need  not  press  the  horses,"  Angus  said  as  they  rode 
off.  "  We  shall  certainly  have  twelve  hours'  start,  and  I  hope 
twenty-four.  It  all  depends  on  how  often  the  man  reports 
to  his  employer,  who  is  no  doubt  an  official  at  the  palace. 


AZIM   SURPRISES   THE   SPY. 


AN  ESCAPE  97 

Probably  he  goes  once  a  day,  though,  as  there  has  been  noth- 
ing1 suspicious  about  our  movements  and  no  signs  of  any  in- 
tention of  leaving,  he  may  have  been  ordered  to  go  only 
every  two  or  three  days  unless  he  has  news  to  give.  Of 
course  in  that  case  we  are  all  right;  but  if  he  reports  every 
evening,  how  long  a  start  we  shall  get  depends  entirely  upon 
what  sort  of  a  man  the  official  is.  In  any  case,  he  would 
hardly  give  a  thought  to  his  spy  not  coming  in  this  evening, 
but  would  suppose  that  I  had  been  out  till  late.  When  he 
does  not  appear  in  the  morning,  if  the  official  is  of  a  sus- 
picious nature  he  will  enquire  for  the  man,  and  when  he  is 
not  found  will  send  down  to  the  khan  to  see  if  he  is  there, 
and  to  ascertain  if  things  are  going  on  as  usual. 

"  When  the  news  is  brought  him  that  the  man  is  not  there, 
and  that  we  have  been  out  all  night,  he  will  become  alarmed. 
He  will  go  himself  and  question  the  traders  there,  and  will 
doubtless  ascertain  that  I  have  sold  our  horses.  I  don't  sup- 
pose he  will  hear  that  we  have  bought  others.  The  trader 
will  see  that  there  is  going  to  be  trouble  about  it,  and  is 
likely  to  hold  his  tongue  and  tell  his  servant  to  be  silent  on 
the  subject;  and  as  the  official  could  have  no  reason  for 
imagining  that  we  should  sell  our  horses  and  buy  others,  he 
will  conclude  that  we  have  made  our  escape  over  the  wall  on 
foot.  That  is  the  report  which  he  will  probably  make  to  the 
Prince,  and  we  may  safely  calculate  that  it  will  be  afternoon 
before  parties  of  horse  are  sent  off  in  pursuit  by  the  Herat, 
Ghuznee,  and  Quettah  roads,  and  will  probably  be  instructed 
to  enquire  for  two  young  Persians  on  foot.  They  will  lose 
time  by  stopping  at  every  village  to  make  enquiries,  and 
after  going  forty  or  fifty  miles  will  begin  to  feel  sure  that 
we  have  not  come  along  that  road,  but  have  gone  by  one  of 
the  others,  or  perhaps  hidden  up  in  some  village  at  a  distance 
from  the  road. 

"  They  may  have  instructions  to  go  as  far  as  Quettah;  but 

(M807)  O 


98  TO  HERAT  AND  CABUL 

suppose  they  get  thirty  miles  before  sunset — and  they  cer- 
tainly won't  get  farther  than  that,  as  they  will  have  to  make 
enquiries,  and  will  probably  halt  as  soon  as  it  gets  dark, — 
we  shall  have  a  start  of  nearly  sixty  miles  before  morning, 
and  will  hide  up  and  go  on  as  soon  as  it  is  dark,  and  shall 
be  another  thirty  or  forty  before  they  start  next  day;  so  we 
shall  then  be  some  sixty  miles  ahead  of  them  and  within  from 
twenty  to  thirty  from  Quettah.  We  will  skirt  round  the 
town  without  going  into  it,  and  then  make  down  the  Bolan 
Pass.  I  don't  think  there  is  the  least  chance  of  any  pursuit 
being  kept  up  beyond  Quettah,  and  we  can  travel  at  our  own 
pace  down  the  pass.  We  shall  have  to  lay  in  a  good  stock 
of  provisions  at  the  last  village  we  pass  before  beginning  to 
descend,  and  must  travel  at  night,  for  otherwise  we  may  be 
plundered  by  the  tribesmen,  who  have  the  worst  possible 
reputation." 

"  How  long  is  the  pass,  master  ? " 

"  Fifty-five  miles  long,  Mr.  Pottinger  told  me.  He  says 
that  it  is  a  frightful  place.  A  river  runs  through  it,  and  in 
the  wet  season  anyone  caught  in  it  would  be  drowned,  for 
in  some  places  the  sides  are  perpendicular,  and  the  channel 
is  only  sixty  or  seventy  feet  wide.  There  are  caves  along 
there  in  which  the  tribesmen  hide,  and  rush  out  and  plunder, 
and  often  kill,  travellers.  We  must  get  through  in  two 
nights,  and  must  be  extremely  careful  where  we  stop  for  the 
day,  choosing  some  place  where  we  can  hide  ourselves  and 
our  horses." 

"Well,  master,"  Azim  said  after  a  pause,  "if  it  is  the 
will  of  Allah  that  we  are  to  get  through,  we  shall;  if  not, 
not." 

"That  is  it,  Azim.  I  do  not  think  that  there  is  much 
fear  of  our  lives.  We  know  that  travellers  do  use  that  pass. 
I  believe  they  generally  pay  so  much  to  one  of  the  chiefs 
of  the  tribesmen,  and  we  will  do  the  same  if,  on  arriving 


AN  ESCAPE  99 

at  the  top  of  the  pass,  we  find  that  we  can  arrange  it.  We 
shall  want  money  to  take  us  from  Dadur  across  the  plain 
to  the  Indus.  It  is  a  barren  and  desolate  country,  and  we 
shall  have  to  buy  some  supplies  at  Dadur.  Coming  down 
without  merchandise,  the  tribesmen  will  make  sure  that  we 
have  money,  as  we  should  naturally  have  sold  the  goods  we 
brought  from  Persia  at  Candahar,  and  must  intend  buying 
a  fresh  stock  in  India.  Therefore,  you  may  be  sure,  that  if 
captured  we  should  be  stripped  of  every  penny  we  have 
about  us." 

They  rode  for  eight  hours,  and  reckoned  that  they  had 
made  some  fifty  miles.  They  gave  the  horses  a  good  feed 
and  lay  down  until  daylight,  for  they  were  now  at  the  foot 
of  the  Kojuk,  a  gorge  so  steep  and  difficult  that  it  could  not 
be  passed  at  night.  Just  as  they  were  starting,  three  tribes- 
men rode  up,  and  in  the  name  of  the  local  chief  demanded 
two  gold  tomauns,  one  for  each  horse  and  rider,  as  tribute 
for  a  free  passage.  As  the  money  was  paid  without  ques- 
tion, they  rode  off  without  giving  further  trouble.  The 
passage  was  long  and  difficult,  and  in  many  cases  they  had 
to  lead  their  horses.  Once  through,  they  allowed  the  animals 
another  hour's  rest  and  a  feed,  and  then  mounting,  rode  on 
briskly  again.  A  few  miles  farther  on  they  halted  in  a 
clump  of  trees,  and  slept  until  nightfall,  and  then  rode  an- 
other twenty  miles.  As  speed  was  of  less  consequence  than 
keeping  their  horses  in  fair  condition,  they  turned  off  at  a 
little  stream,  followed  it  for  half  a  mile  up,  and  then  halted 
in  a  dip  through  which  it  ran.  Here  there  was  good  grass 
for  the  horses.  They  remained  for  the  rest  of  that  day,  and 
until  within  three  hours  of  daybreak  next  morning.  As 
Angus  had  calculated,  they  saw  at  sunrise  the  mud  fort  and 
town  of  Quettah  standing1  on  its  rocky  eminence.  They  made 
a  detour,  and  came  down  upon  the  road  again  round  the 
town,  and  then  rode  briskly  down  the  Shawl  valley.  The 


100  TO  HERAT  AND  CABUL 

country  refund  Was  rich  and  fertile,  and  dotted  with  villages, 
orchards,  and  vineyards.  They  stopped  late  in  the  afternoon 
at  a  village  near  the  entrance  to  the  pass.  Two  armed  men 
came  out  from  a  hut  as  they  drew  up.  The  leader  said,  "  Our 
chief  is  master  of  the  pass,  travellers  find  it  wise  to  pay  for 
right  of  passage." 

"  That  we  are  ready  to  do,"  Angus  said.  "  But  does  your 
chief  guarantee  that  we  shall  go  unmolested  down  to 
Dadur?" 

"  The  chief  cannot  guarantee  that,  he  can  only  guarantee 
you  from  hurt  or  damage  from  his  people.  He  is  lord  of 
the  eastern  side  of  the  pass,  but  there  are  others — men  of  no 
account,  and  who  own  no  chief — among  the  mountains  to  the 
west.  They  sometimes  waylay  travellers.  Our  chief  pun- 
ishes them  when  he  can  do  so ;  but  it  is  seldom  that  he  is  able 
to  catch  them.  He  does  all  that  he  can,  for  he  wishes  well 
to  traders  and  others  who  pass  along,  for  when  ill  happens 
to  them  others  are  afraid  to  pass,  and  he  loses  his  tribute. 
When  a  large  caravan  comes  up,  and  is  able  to  pay  hand- 
somely, he  furnishes  an  escort  of  twenty  men  or  more;  but 
he  will  not  send  less  than  twenty,  for  a  smaller  party  might 
not  be  able  to  defend  the  caravan,  and  he  would  suffer  loss 
of  honour  from  failing  to  give  protection  to  those  to  whom 
he  guaranteed  it." 

"  We  cannot  afford  to  pay  for  an  escort  of  twenty  men, 
and  have  but  little  to  be  robbed  of,  for  you  see  we  carry  no 
merchandise,  having  disposed  of  what  we  bought  at  Herat 
and  Candahar,  and  sent  the  proceeds  by  sure  hands  back 
to  Persia." 

As  their  attire  gave  no  signs  of  their  being  men  of  sub- 
stance, the  tribesman  said:  "In  that  case  you  will  only 
have  to  pay  one  tomaun  each;  that  is  the  price  for  a  man 
and  horse,  and  the  same  for  each  camel-  or  horse-load  of 
goods ;  that  is  the  regular  toll," 


AN  ESCAPE  101 

"  That  we  can  pay.  As  to  the  brigands  you  speak  of, 
we  must  take  our  chance." 

He  handed  the  money  to  the  man,  who  in  return  gave  him 
a  little  white-and-red  flag,  which  he  was  to  show  should  he 
encounter  any  of  his  tribesmen.  They  stopped  here  all  day, 
and  purchased  food  for  their  journey. 

"  I  should  think  it  would  be  a  very  good  thing,  Azim," 
Angus  said  in  the  afternoon,  "if  we  could  engage  a  guide. 
We  might  break  our  necks  making  our  way  down  here  in 
the  dark.  I  will  speak  to  those  two  fellows.  I  suppose  they 
are  on  duty  here,  and  cannot  go  themselves,  but  there  may 
be  others  of  the  tribe  in  the  village;  or,  if  not,  some  of  the 
people  here  may  be  accustomed  to  going  down  the  pass  with 
caravans." 

Angus  went  to  the  hut  occupied  by  the  two  tribesmen  and 
called  them  out.  "  We  are  intending  to  travel  at  night," 
he  said,  after  offering  them  a  packet  of  tobacco.  "  In  that 
way  we  may  escape  being  seen  by  these  brigands," 

"It  will  be  almost  impossible  for  you  to  go  at  night — 
quite  impossible  without  a  guide." 

"  That  is  what  we  came  to  you  about.  Are  there  any  of 
your  tribe  who  would  act  as  a  guide  for  us?  How  long 
would  it  take  us  ? " 

"  It  would  take  you  four  nights'  journey.  You  could  do 
it  in  two  stages  if  your  horses  are  sure-footed  and  you 
travelled  in  the  day,  but  at  night  it  would  take  four  at  least. 
How  much  would  you  be  willing  to  pay  ? " 

"  How  much  would  be  charged  ? "  Angus  said  quietly. 

"  You  should  have  two  men,"  the  man  answered,  "  two 
men  who  know  the  pass  well.  Yakoob  and  I  could  go  with 
you.  We  have  been  here  six  days,  and  two  others  will  come 
to  take  our  places  and  collect  tolls  to-morrow,  so  we  shall  be 
free.  We  know  every  foot  of  the  pass,  having  travelled  up 
and  down  it  scores  of  times.  We  cannot  guarantee  your 


102  TO  HERAT  AND  CABUL 

safety,  but  you  would  have  a  better  chance  with  us  than 
with  others.  We  will  take  you  into  Dadur.  We  do  not 
promise  to  fight ;  when  twenty  attack  four,  fighting  is  foolish. 
We  have  our  horses;  there  are  parts  where  the  pass  opens 
out  and  the  bottom  is  level." 

"  Well,  how  much  would  you  charge  ? " 

The  two  men  talked  together  in  an  undertone,  and  then 
the  one  who  had  before  spoken  turned  again  to  Angus. 
"  We  would  take  you  for  three  gold  pieces  each." 

"It  is  a  large  sum,"  Angus  said;  "but  as  I  hear  in  the 
village  that  it  is  not  safe  to  go  unless  with  a  large  caravan, 
and  that  it  might  be  three  weeks  or  a  month  before  a  suffi- 
ciently large  number  of  travellers  arrive,  we  will  pay  you 
that." 

"It  is  a  bargain,  then,"  the  man  said.  "We  had  best 
start  at  four  o'clock;  the  descent  here  is  very  steep,  and  it 
is  not  overlooked  from  the  hills  to  the  west.  Therefore,  we 
can  go  down  there  by  daylight,  and  then  rest  our  horses  for 
an  hour  and  move  forward  again  when  it  is  quite  dark.  You 
had  better  buy  four  black  blankets,  to  cut  up  and  tie  round 
the  horses'  feet,  so  that  when  we  are  passing  the  bad  points, 
where  the  brigands  generally  lurk,  no  noise  will  be  made  in 
climbing  over  the  boulders  or  slipping  on  smooth  rocks.  It 
will  be  necessary,  of  course,  to  get  food  for  us  all  and  for  the 
horses." 

"I  will  buy  that  to-morrow,"  Angus  said.  "I  suppose  it 
would  be  of  no  use  taking  torches  ? " 

"  You  might  take  some,"  the  man  said.  "  In  some  places 
the  rocks  are  so  steep  that  no  one  could  look  down  from 
above,  and  at  these  points  there  are  no  caves  where  the 
thieves  would  be  hiding,  and  we  should  certainly  get  on  a 
good  deal  faster  with  torches." 

"  I  will  take  some  then.  Have  you  ever  been  through  by 
night  before?" 


AN  ESCAPE  103 

The  man  shook  his  head.  "We  have  not.  It  is  seldom 
attempted;  but  it  is  because  you  are  willing  to  travel  so 
that  we  are  ready  to  accompany  you,  for  the  brigands  would 
expect  no  one  at  that  time,  and  will  most  likely  be  asleep." 

"Then,  if  we  are  attacked  we  must  be  taken  prisoners?" 

"No,"  the  man  said;  "there  are  many  places  where  the 
hills  can  be  ascended  by  men  who  know  them.  Should 
we  be  attacked  near  one  of  these  spots  we  must  leave  our 
horses  and  fly;  that  is  what  we  should  do,  and  what  I  should 
advise  you  to  do  also.  A  man's  life  is  worth  more  than  a 
horse  and  saddle.  Of  course  in  the  daytime  there  would  be 
no  escape  in  that  way,  for  they  would  bring  us  down  with 
their  matchlocks;  but  at  night  we  could  elude  them,  and  if 
they  did  follow  us  we  could  defend  ourselves,  taking  shelter 
and  shooting  them  as  they  came  up." 

"  Well,  it  is  a  satisfaction,  anyhow,"  Angus  said,  "  that 
there  would  be  a  chance  for  us.  Our  horses  are  good  beasts, 
but  we  value  our  lives  more." 

"  I  think  they  are  honest  fellows,"  he  went  on  after  telling 
Azim  the  substance  of  his  conversation  with  the  tribesmen. 
"  They  say  that  the  Afghans  have  a  treacherous  disposition, 
but  I  believe  these  men  can  be  trusted  to  keep  their  engage- 
ments. They  did  not  exaggerate  the  difficulties  of  the  jour- 
ney as  some  would  have  done,  nor  did  they  pretend  that  they 
would  join  in  a  hopeless  fight.  In  fact,  although  of  course 
the  actual  difficulties  of  the  journey  would  be  very  much 
greater  in  the  dark  than  in  daylight,  they  evidently  con- 
sidered that  the  danger  from  the  other  tribesmen  would  be 
by  no  means  great." 

It  was,  however,  a  terrible  journey,  and  Augus  felt  that 
without  the  guidance  of  the  tribesmen  it  would  have  been 
an  impossible  one.  They  knew  exactly  where  the  river  was 
fordable,  and  on  which  side  the  pass  was  most  free  from 
great  boulders  and  obstruction,  and  where  torches  could  be 


104  TO  HERAT  AND  OABUL 

safely  used.  But  at  times  progress  was  terribly  slow,  their 
horses  having  to  pick  their  way  among  rocks  and  boulders, 
and  taking1  more  than  an  hour  to  cover  a  mile.  At  other 
times  they  were  able  to  go  at  a  brisk  walk,  and  even  break 
into  a  trot.  Whenever  they  neared  spots  where  the  caves 
frequented  by  the  robbers  were  situated,  the  horses'  feet  were 
muffled,  and  they  were  led  with  the  greatest  care.  It  was 
indeed  comparatively  seldom  that  the  riders  mounted;  where 
it  was  dangerous  to  have  torches,  they  walked  along  by  the 
side  of  their  horses,  allowing  the  animals  to  pick  their  own 
way,  which  they  were  able  to  do  better  than  they  could  have 
done  if  led. 

The  horses  Angus  had  bought  having  made  the  ascent  of 
the  pass  were  to  some  extent  accustomed  to  the  work,  and 
not  having  to  carry  the  weight  of  the  riders  were  able,  save 
in  exceptional  places,  to  get  along  more  easily  than  Angus 
and  Azim  were  able  to  do.  Both  of  these  had  many  falls, 
and  would  have  had  many  more  had  not  their  guides  at  such 
times  stood  close  beside  them  and  rendered  them  assistance, 
often  warning  them  of  obstacles  of  which  they  themselves 
were  unable  to  make  out  the  faintest  outline. 

Several  times  they  saw  the  glow  of  fires  burning  in  the 
caverns.  At  such  points  the  strictest  silence  was  observed. 
They  had  purchased  Afghan  shoes  at  the  village,  and  round 
these  had  wound  strips  of  thick  woollen  stuff  like  felt,  so 
that  their  steps  were  as  noiseless  as  those  of  the  horses.  The 
stirrups  were  fastened  over  the  animals'  backs  so  as  to  avoid 
contact  with  rocks;  and  any  slight  sound  that  might  be  made 
was  to  a  great  extent  drowned  by  the  murmur  and  rattle  of 
the  rapid  stream. 

The  long  halts  during  the  daytime  were  made  at  points, 
carefully  chosen  by  the  guides,  at  the  foot  of  precipitous 
rocks.  Fragments  that  had  fallen  from  above  formed  a 
bank  at  a  short  distance  from  the  foot,  the  greater  part  of 


AN  ESCAPE  105 

the  rocks  having  bounded  outwards  with  the  impetus  of  their 
fall.  Between  the  bank  and  the  cliff  there  was  a  depression 
partly  filled  with  splinters  of  rock.  It  was,  however,  con- 
siderably lower  than  the  bank,  and  the  men  and  horses  sta- 
tioned in  it  were  hid  alike  from  observation  from  above  and 
from  the  eye  of  those  passing  along  the  valley.  Here  they 
slept  on  beds  composed  of  their  saddles  and  rugs  laid  on 
the  rough  stones,  their  guides  by  turn  keeping  watch.  As  a 
whole  they  got  on  faster  than  the  guides  had  anticipated, 
and:  were  fairly  down  at  the  mouth  of  the  pass  at  daybreak 
on  the  fourth  morning  after  their  start.  Here  the  tribesmen 
received  their  pay,  Angus  adding  another  pound  to  the 
amount  agreed  on,  for  the  care  and  assistance  given.  They 
waited  two  days  at  Dadur  to  allow  their  horses  rest.  Here 
they  were  fortunate  in  finding  two  men  well  acquainted  with 
the  road.  They  had  so  far  guided  a  party  who  were  proceed- 
ing up  the  pass  to  Quettah,  and  as  they  were  now  returning, 
were  glad  enough  to  accept  the  offer  of  a  couple  of  pounds  to 
act  as  guides  across  the  desert.  In  accordance  with  their 
advice  two  rough  ponies  were  bought  to  carry  water-skins 
and  provisions,  while  smaller  skins  were  to  be  taken  on  their 
own  horses,  as  the  country  to  be  traversed  was  for  a  con- 
siderable distance  a  waterless  desert.  Even  this  part  of  the 
journey  would  not  be  accomplished  without  danger,  for  the 
Belooches  of  the  district  were  to  a  man  plunderers,  and  cared 
nothing  for  the  authority  of  the  Khan  of  Khelat.  The  dis- 
tance from  Dadur  to  Shikarpore  is  nearly  a  hundred  and 
fifty  miles  across  a  flat  and  dreary  country,  almost  unpopu- 
lated; but  as  they  were  unencumbered  by  baggage,  and  car- 
ried sufficient  water  for  their  wants  and  those  of  their  horses, 
it  was  performed  in  seven  days.  At  Rojhan  they  came  upon 
Captain  Thompson,  who  was  in  command  of  a  party  which 
had  gone  forward  to  examine  the  state  of  the  water-supply, 
and  if  necessary  to  sink  more  wells.  He  was  surprised  when 


106  TO  HERAT  AND  OABUL 

a  young  Persian  trader  addressed  him  in  English,  and  in- 
formed him  that  he  had  just  come  through  from  Herat.  This 
was  quite  enough  to  assure  a  warm  welcome,  and  the  officer 
put  him  up  for  the  night  in  his  own  tent  and  made  him  in 
all  respects  comfortable. 

After  hearing  something  of  the  siege  of  Herat,  and  of 
his  journey,  he  asked  anxiously  as  to  the  water-supply  in  the 
villages  on  the  way  to  Dadur.  On  hearing  that  few  of  them 
were  much  better  supplied  than  Rojhan  he  threw  up  his 
hands  in  despair. 

"  Two  or  three  thousand  natives  ought  to  have  been  en- 
gaged," he  said,  "  and  a  couple  of  hundred  set  to  work  to 
dig  deep  wells  in  these  villages.  A  hundred  wells  would  be 
little  enough  for  the  army,  its  horses  and  baggage  animals, 
and  its  native  followers.  Even  when  they  are  dug  the  water 
runs  into  them  slowly.  I  have  sent  down  my  report  from 
here.  There  are  only  three  wells,  one  of  which  Sir  Alexander 
Burnes  sank  when  he  was  here  a  week  ago ;  the  others  contain 
such  bad  water  as  to  be  quite  unfit  for  human  use.  I  am 
really  frightened  at  the  thought  of  what  will  take  place  be- 
fore the  army  gets  to  Dadur.  However,  I  hear  that  they  will 
not  advance  for  another  month,  and  that  some  very  energetic 
steps  will  be  made  to  secure  a  water-supply  before  they  come 
along." 

On  the  following  day  Angus  passed  several  working  par- 
ties who  were  engaged  under  the  superintendence  of  Major 
Leech,  assistant  to  Sir  Alexander  Burnes — for  Captain 
Burnes  had  been  knighted  as  a  reward  for  his  services  in 
Cabul.  With  the  exception  of  these  parties  they  scarcely 
encountered  a  human  being  on  the  way  down,  except  in  the 
miserable  little  villages  which  were  situated  where  the  soil 
permitted  the  cultivation  of  a  scanty  crop,  which  was  for  the 
most  part  cut  when  green  and  sold  to  passing  travellers. 
Angus  was  heartily  glad  when  Shikarpore  came  in  sight.  He 


AN  ESCAPE  107 

had  learned  from  Captain  Thompson  that  Shah  Soojah  had 
arrived  there  with  a  native  army  which  he  had  raised,  that 
the  Bengal  army  under  General  Cotton,  which  had  marched 
down  by  the  Indus,  was  expected  to  arrive  there  in  a  day  or 
two,  and  that  the  Bombay  army  under  Sir  John  Keane  was 
but  a  few  days  behind. 

Upon  entering  the  town  he  was  glad  to  see  British  uni- 
forms in  the  street,  and  addressing  in  English  the  first  offi- 
cer he  met,  he  found  that  the  division  of  General  Cotton 
had  arrived  two  days  before. 

"I  have  just  come  from  Herat,"  Angus  said.  "I  left 
there  after  the  siege  was  raised.  I  have  some  despatches 
from  Lieutenant  Pottinger,  which  should  be  given  either  to 
Colonel  Pottinger  or  to  Sir  Alexander  Burnes." 

"Burnes  is  here.  I  think  that  Colonel  Pottinger  is  at 
Sukkar,  he  was  there  a  few  days  ago;  you  will  find  Burnes 
at  the  head-quarters.  He  is  the  political  officer  and  so  forth 
of  the  army;  but  Macnaghten  is  envoy  and  commissioner  to 
Soojah,  and  generally  at  the  head  of  all  political  business." 

The  army  was  encamped  round  the  town,  and  Angus  had 
no  difficulty  in  finding  the  quarters  of  Sir  Alexander  Burnes. 
Dismounting  a  short  distance  away,  he  left  Azim  to  look 
after  the  horses  and  went  towards  the  tent.  He  was  stopped 
by  a  sentry,  who  on  learning  that  he  wished  to  see  Sir 
Alexander,  called  an  attendant.  The  latter,  coming  up,  took 
Angus's  name  in,  and  reappearing  at  the  entrance  almost 
immediately,  signed  to  him  to  enter. 


108  TO  HEBAT  AND  OABUL 


CHAPTER  VH 

IN  THE  SERVICE 

AM  glad  to  see  you,   Mr.  Campbell,"  Sir  Alexander 


"I 


Pottinger  was  asking  me  only  three  or  four  days  ago  to  keep 
a  look-out  for  you.  He  had  received  a  letter  from  his  nephew 
saying  that  you  were  going  to  travel  down  via  Candahar,  and 
that  he  was  afraid  that  you  would  not  manage  to  get  through. 
I  myself  received  a  letter  from  Lieutenant  Pottinger  speak- 
ing very  highly  of  services  that  you  had  rendered,  and  I 
understand  that  both  he  and  Mr.  M'Neill,  our  minister  in 
Persia,  spoke  very  favourably  of  you  in  their  despatches  to 
the  Governor-general.  How  have  you  got  through  ? " 

"  I  had  very  little  difficulty,  sir,  except  that  I  was  detained 
at  Candahar,  and  had  to  effect  my  escape  secretly."  And  he 
gave  a  short  account  of  his  journey,  and  the  manner  in  which 
he  had  escaped  from  Candahar  and  avoided  recapture. 

"You  managed  it  very  cleverly,  Mr.  Campbell.  I  will 
take  you  in  at  once  to  Macnaghten,  who  is  supreme  here, 
for  Shah  Soojah  is  at  present  little  more  than  a  puppet.  I 
have  no  doubt  that  he  will  be  very  glad  to  learn  what  is  the 
feeling  throughout  the  country  as  to  Shah  Soojah.  I  may 
tell  you  in  confidence  that  I  am  convinced  that  a  terrible 
blunder  has  been  made  in  taking  up  his  cause.  I  was,  as 
you  no  doubt  know,  several  months  at  Cabul,  and  I  am 
convinced  that  Dost  Mahomed  was  sincere  in  his  desire  for 
our  friendship,  and  that  he  can  support  himself  against  his 
brothers  at  Candahar,  who  have,  as  we  know,  been  intrigu- 
ing with  Persia  and  Russia.  I  have  all  along  urged  the 
Indian  Government  to  give  him  warm  support  and  to  enter 


IN  THE  SERVICE  109 

into  a  firm  alliance  with  him.  However,  the  Governor- 
general  and  his  advisers  have  taken  the  other  view,  and  I 
have  only  to  do  my  best  to  carry  out  their  orders,  although 
I  have  strongly  represented  my  own  opinion. 

"  I  do  not  think  that  Government  has  any  idea  of  the 
difficulties  to  be  encountered.  So  far  as  fighting  goes  there 
is  no  doubt  whatever  that  the  Afghans  cannot  stand  against 
us,  but  the  operation  of  feeding  the  troops  and  animals  will 
be  a  troublesome  one  indeed.  The  heat  will  increase  every 
day,  and  even  the  march  up  to  Quettah  will  present  enor- 
mous difficulties,  as  you  who  have  just  descended  the  pass 
will  readily  understand;  but  the  great  problem  will  not  be 
how  to  place  Shah  Soojah  on  the  throne  but  how  to  main- 
tain him  there.  I  tell  you  this  because  Macnaghten,  who 
really  knows  nothing1  of  the  matter,  is  extremely  sanguine. 
I  warn  you  that  it  will  be  as  well  that  you  should  not  express 
any  strong  opinion  against  the  enterprise.  It  is  determined 
upon,  and  will  be  carried  out,  and  without  in  any  way  shak- 
ing his  opinion  you  would  only  set  him  against  you  and 
might  seriously  injure  your  own  prospects.  As  it  is,  he  has 
much  to  irritate  him.  There  have  already  been  serious 
troubles  with  the  Ameers  of  Scinde,  who  have  been  treated 
in  a  very  high-handed  manner  instead  of  being  conciliated 
in  every  possible  way.  This  alone  has  vastly  added  to  the 
difficulty,  by  rendering  it  almost  impossible  to  obtain  car- 
riage or  provisions. 

"  Then  he  differs  greatly  from  General  Cotton,  who,  since 
his  arrival  here  two  days  ago,  has  shown  himself  an  officer 
who  has  an  immense  opinion  of  his  own  dignity.  As  general 
in  command  he  declines  to  take  any  orders,  or  indeed  to 
listen  to  any  advice,  from  Macnaghten.  This  is  certainly  not 
Macnaghten's  fault,  who,  although,  as  I  consider,  mistaken 
in  his  opinions,  is  very  conciliating  in  his  manner,  and  would 
willingly  avoid  all  friction,  which  can  but  be  disadvantageous 


110  TO  HERAT  AND  CABTJL 

to  the  enterprise  on  which  he  has  set  his  heart.  Cotton's 
transport  is  really  insufficient  for  his  own  army;  Shah  Soo- 
jah  has  hardly  any  transport  at  all.  Cotton  cares  not  in  the 
slightest  about  the  Shah  or  the  Shah's  army,  and,  to  say  the 
truth,  they  are  of  no  great  value. 

"Macnaghten,  however,  attaches,  and  reasonably  from  his 
point  of  view,  great  importance  to  the  fact  that  Shah  Soojah 
should  appear  as  arriving  to  claim  his  throne  as  an  inde- 
pendent prince  with  his  own  army,  supported  by  his  allies 
the  British,  and  not  as  a  mere  puppet  forced  upon  the  Afghans 
by  British  bayonets;  and  he  is  therefore  most  anxious  that 
he  and  his  force  should  occupy  as  prominent  a  position  as 
possible.  It  is  as  well  for  me  to  give  you  these  hints  as  to  the 
situation  before  you  see  Macnaghten,  and  to  warn  you  against 
speaking  to  him  strongly  of  any  hostile  opinions  as  to  Shah 
Soojah's  chances  that  you  may  have  gathered  on  your  jour- 
ney. When  a  man  has  an  open  mind  it  is  well  to  give  him 
both  sides  of  the  case,  but  when  he  has  pledged  his  reputa- 
tion and  thrown  himself  heart  and  soul  into  one  side  of  the 
case  it  is  worse  than  useless  to  endeavour  to  turn  him,  espe- 
cially when  the  die  is  cast  and  the  day  for  drawing  back  is 
past.  If  my  opinion,  gathered  from  nine  months'  residence 
in  Cabul  and  almost  daily  interviews  with  Dost  Mahomed, 
has  been  altogether  unheeded,  certainly  yours,  gathered  in 
a  passing  trip  through  the  country,  would  have  no  effect 
whatever  beyond  setting1  him  against  you." 

"  Thank  you,  sir,  I  will  be  careful ;  and  indeed  my  opinion 
would  in  any  case  be  of  little  value.  I  certainly  conversed 
a  good  deal  with  the  natives  on  my  way  from  Herat  to 
Candahar,  but  at  that  city  I  spoke  only  to  Persian  mer- 
chants, and  had  no  intercourse  whatever  on  my  way  down, 
except  with  my  guides  in  the  Bolan  passes." 

"Well  we  will  call  on  him  now,"  Sir  Alexander  Burnes 
said,  taking  his  cap. 


IK  THE  SERVICE  111 

Mr.  Macnaghten's  tent  was  next  to  his  own,  and  he  at 
once  took  Angus  in  with  him. 

"I  have  come,  Mr.  Macnaghten,  to  introduce  to  you  Mr. 
Angus  Campbell,  who  has  just  come  down  through  Candahar 
from  Herat.  His  name  was,  I  know,  very  favourably  men- 
tioned both  by  Lieutenant  Pottinger  and  Mr.  M'Neill.  He 
has  brought  down  letters  of  introduction  to  me  and  Colonel 
Pottinger." 

"  I  know  your  name  well,  sir,"  Macnaghten  said.  "  Mr. 
M'Neill  told  us  that  you  had  been  in  his  service,  and  had 
gone  to  Herat  on  a  mission  to  induce  Shah  Kamran  to  hold 
out  to  the  last,  and  that  when  the  siege  was  raised  you  had 
started  from  there  with  the  intention  of  journeying  down 
through  Afghanistan  into  Scinde,  in  hopes  of  obtaining  em- 
ployment in  some  capacity  where  your  knowledge  of  Persian 
and  Arabic  would  be  of  service.  I  also  understand,  by  Lieu- 
tenant Pottinger's  last  despatch,  that  you  have  learned  Push- 
too. The  Gdvernor-general  was  very  favourably  impressed 
with  these  reports,  and  authorized  me  to  employ  you  at  once 
as  one  of  the  junior  assistants.  I  should  think,  Sir  Alexan- 
der, that  you  can  employ  Mr.  Campbell  to  greater  advantage 
than  I  can,  as  the  work  of  making  the  arrangements  for  the 
advance  of  the  army  is  in  your  hands." 

"I  shall  be  very  glad  of  an  addition  to  my  staff,  for  as 
we  get  on  I  foresee  that  the  three  officers  who  now  assist  me 
will  be  altogether  insufficient;  and  the  high  terms  in  which 
Mr.  M'Neill  and  Lieutenant  Pottinger  have  written  about 
him,  and  the  fact  that  he  has  been  able  to  travel  about  the 
country  unsuspected,  shows  his  fitness  for  such  work." 

"  You  must  understand,  Mr.  Campbell,"  Macnaghten  said, 
"  I  cannot  guarantee  that  the  position  will  be  a  permanent 
one,  as  all  such  appointments  in  the  service  must  be  con- 
firmed by  the  Court  of  Directors;  but  I  shall  at  once  ac- 
quaint Lord  Auckland  of  your  arrival  here  and  of  your 


112  TO  HERAT  AND  CABUL 

nomination,  and  I  have  no  doubt  that  he  will  himself  con- 
firm it  so  far  as  this  expedition  continues,  and  will  strongly 
recommend  the  Court  of  Directors  that  your  appointment  to 
the  service  shall  be  a  permanent  one,  in  view  of  your  excep- 
tional knowledge  of  Persian  and  Pushtoo." 

"I  thank  you  very  much  indeed,  sir,  and  will  do  my  best 
to  merit  your  good  opinion." 

As  Angus  left  the  tent  with  Sir  Alexander  Burnes  he 
said :  "  I  am  indeed  obliged  to  you,  sir.  I  had  hoped  that 
I  might  obtain  an  appointment  of  some  sort,  but  I  never 
hoped  for  one  like  this.  It  is  the  work,  too,  of  all  others  that 
I  should  like,  and  you  may  rely  on  me  to  carry  out  your 
orders  to  the  full  extent  of  my  power." 

"  I  have  no  doubt  you  will,  Mr.  Campbell.  I  am  glad  to 
have  one  of  my  officers  speak  Pushtoo,  for  although  both  in 
Scinde  and  Afghanistan  Persian  is  the  language  most 
spoken  by  the  upper  classes,  it  is  of  no  use  with  the  peasants. 
In  the  work  of  digging  wells,  bargaining  for  fodder  for  the 
horses,  and  so  forth,  Pushtoo  will  be  very  useful,  for  al- 
though it  differs  from  the  language  of  the  Belooches,  it  ia 
near  enough  for  them  to  understand  it;  and,  of  course,  when 
we  are  once  through  the  Bolan  it  is  the  language  of  all  the 
countrymen." 

"  May  I  ask  what  dress  it  will  be  proper  for  me  to  wear  ? " 

"As  it  is  a  civil  appointment  you  will  not  wear  uniform, 
but  either  the  ordinary  civilian  dress,  or,  if  you  like,  a  dress 
of  oriental  character.  I  generally  dress  so,  and  it  certainly 
has  its  advantages,  and  favourably  predisposes  chiefs  you 
may  have  to  visit.  A  British  uniform  they  understand,  but 
a  purely  civilian  dress  is  too  simple  for  them,  and  does  not 
convey  any  sense  of  importance." 

"  Very  well,  sir ;  I  am  glad  that  you  have  decided  so.  I 
have  no  civilian  clothes  with  me,  and  should  find  it  very 
difficult,  if  not  impossible,  to  get  them  here." 


IN  THE  SERVICE  113 

"Your  appointment  will  be  a  thousand  rupees  a  month, 
so  long  as  the  campaign  lasts;  after  that  it  would,  of  course, 
depend  upon  the  future  employment  you  might  have.  If 
you  would  like  to  draw  a  month's  pay  in  advance  you  can 
do  so." 

"No,  thank  you,  sir;  I  am  fairly  provided  with  money." 

"  I  have  four  officers  employed  on  similar  duty,  Mr.  Camp- 
bell, I  will  introduce  you  to  them  at  once;  and  you  will,  of 
course,  mess  with  our  party." 

Major  Leech,  the  chief  assistant,  was  away  on  duty,  but 
the  other  three  officers  were  at  once  sent  for.  "  Captain 
Jones,  Captain  Arbuthnot,  and  Lieutenant  Macgregor,  I 
wish  to  introduce  to  you  Mr.  Campbell,  whom  I  have  just 
appointed  as  one  of  my  political  assistants.  He  has  distin- 
guished himself  greatly  under  Lieutenant  Pottinger  through- 
out the  siege  of  Herat,  and  was  previously  an  assistant  to 
Mr.  M'Neill,  our  ambassador  at  the  court  of  Persia.  He 
speaks  Persian,  Arabic,  and  Pushtoo,  and  has  been  specially 
recommended  to  the  Governor-general  by  Mr.  M'Neill  and 
Pottinger.  He  has  now  made  his  way  from  Herat  through 
Candahar,  and  the  fact  that  he  has  done  so  safely  shows 
that  he  knows  how  to  use  these  languages  to  advantage." 

As  Lieutenant  Pottinger's  gallant  defence  of  Herat  was 
the  theme  of  general  admiration  throughout  India,  Angus 
could  not  have  had  a  better  introduction,  and  he  was  warmly 
received  by  the  three  officers,  who  at  once  took  him  away 
with  them. 

"  You  will  share  my  tent  with  me,"  Lieutenant  Macgregor 
said.  "  I  am  alone  at  present.  You  have  a  horse,  of  course, 
and  a  servant,  I  suppose  ? " 

"  I  have  a  very  fair  horse,  and  an  excellent  servant,  who 
is  a  young  fellow,  a  Persian,  the  son  of  a  doorkeeper  at  the 
embassy.  He  was  with  me  through  the  siege,  and  I  found 
him  invaluable.  He  is  a  strong  fellow,  and  has  plenty  of 

(M  807)  H 


114  TO  HERAT  AND  OABUL 

courage  and  shrewdness;  I  should  never  have  got  away  out 
of  Candahar  had  it  not  been  for  his  assistance. 

"  Sir  Alexander  has  advised  me  to  get  an  Eastern  dress, 
as  I  cannot  wear  uniform;  and  I  must  see  about  that  at 
once,  for  this  Persian  dress  would  in  any  case  have  been 
out  of  place,  and  my  journey  down  the  Bolan  has  ruined  it 
altogether.  But  in  the  first  place,  I  shall  be  obliged  if  you 
will  tell  me  where  my  two  horses  are  to  be  put  up." 

"Your  horse  will  be  picketed  with  ours  in  our  tents;  our 
servants'  horses  are  in  the  line  behind  them.  Is  that  your 
man  over  there  with  the  two  horses?  I  will  send  an  orderly 
to  tell  him  to  take  them  over  and  picket  them.  Now,  I 
suppose  you  want  something  to  eat?  We  had  tiffin  an  hour 
ago,  but  the  servants  can  get  something  for  you." 

"  Thank  you ;  I  will  go  down  into  the  town.  I  had  some- 
thing before  mounting  this  morning1,  and  I  own  I  should 
not  care  about  going  into  the  mess-tent  till  I  have  got  some- 
thing to  wear  a  little  more  respectable  than  these  clothes." 

"  Oh,  that  is  nonsense.  Besides,  you  need  not  go  into 
the  mess-tent.  I  will  order  them  to  warm  something  up  at 
once,  and  to  bring  it  into  my  tent.  We  are  all  wanting  to 
hear  more  about  Herat.  The  official  despatches  only  give  us 
bare  facts." 

For  the  next  two  hours  Angus  was  fully  occupied  in  re- 
lating his  experiences  of  the  siege  to  the  three  officers;  after 
that  he  went  down  with  Azim  to  the  town.  There  he  bought 
for  himself  a  dress  such  as  would  be  worn  by  a  native  of 
some  rank — a  white  turban,  a  blue  tunic  opening  at  the 
breast  and  showing  a  white  cambric  shirt,  several  white 
robes,  and  loose  white  linen  trousers  tightened  in  at  the 
ankle.  He  bought  a  good  supply  of  under-linen  and  a  couple 
of  pairs  of  native  riding-boots.  For  Azim  be  bought  clothes 
appropriate  to  a  retainer  of  a  Mohammedan  gentleman.  As 
he  was  unable  to  procure  a  camp  bed  of  European  make,  he 


IN  THE  SEBVICE  115 

bought  a  native  charpoy,  which  could  be  taken  to  pieces  and 
conveniently  carried.  He  had  found  that  his  fellow-officers 
had  each  three  native  servants — a  butler  or  body  servant,  a 
syce  for  their  riding  horses,  and  a  man  who  looked  after  and 
led  on  the  line  of  march  two  baggage  animals.  He  had  no 
difficulty  in  engaging  a  syce,  and  let  the  question  of  the 
baggage  animals  stand  over  until  next  day. 

Azim  would,  of  course,  act  as  his  personal  servant.  The 
lad,  who  had  during  the  past  year  become  imbued  with  the 
spirit  of  adventure,  was  delighted  to  hear  that  his  master 
was  to  accompany  the  army.  He  had,  during  his  stay  in 
Herat,  picked  up  the  language,  and  could  converse  in  it  as 
fluently  as  Angus  himself  was  able  to  do;  and  although  he 
had  no  pleasant  recollections  of  the  journey  from  Candahar, 
he  felt  sure  that  it  would  be  a  very  different  affair  when 
accompanying  a  British  army.  He  expressed  as  much  to  his 
master,  who  said: 

"  I  should  not  make  so  sure  of  that,  Azim.  We  had  no 
great  difficulty  in  obtaining  provisions  for  ourselves,  but  it 
will  be  a  very  different  thing  with  an  army  of  thousands  of 
men,  with  an  even  larger  number  of  camp  followers  and 
five  or  six  thousand  camels.  Except  just  round  one  of  those 
little  villages,  we  did  not  see  a  blade  of  grass  from  the  time 
we  left  the  Shawl  valley,  and  how  the  animals  will  exist  till 
we  get  up  to  Quettah  I  have  no  idea.  Once  there  no  doubt 
we  shall  do  fairly  well,  but  we  shall  have  a  very  bad  time  on 
the  journey,  unless  I  am  mistaken.  If  I  had  the  manage- 
ment of  affairs,  I  should  send  off  at  once  the  whole  of  the 
camels  with  a  sufficient  escort  as  far  as  Dadur.  There  they 
should  leave  the  provisions  and  forage  they  took  up,  and 
return  here  to  accompany  the  army  with  a  further  supply. 
No  doubt  it  would  cause  a  month's  delay,  but  it  would  be 
better  to  do  that  than  to  lose  half  our  baggage  animals  and 
to  risk  famine  for  the  troops." 


116  TO  HERAT  AND  CABUL 

"I  believe,"  Captain  Arbuthnot  said  when  Angus  joined 
the  others,  "that  ten  days'  supply  are  ready  at  Dadur,  and 
twenty  days'  supply  at  Quettah." 

"  Certainly  there  were  no  supplies  at  Dadur  when  I  came 
through,  but  I  know  nothing  about  Quettah,"  Angus  said; 
"  still  I  think  that  if  any  supplies  of  consequence  had  been 
collected  there  I  should  have  heard  about  it  from  the  men 
who  guided  us  through  the  pass." 

"  There  were  no  troops  there,  then  ? " 

"No,  not  the  slightest  sign  of  them,  nor  did  we  pass  any 
on  the  march  down  from  Candahar;  but  of  course  the  Khan 
of  Khelat  may  have  collected  a  great  force  of  Belooches,  and 
if  he  did  so,  he  would  naturally  keep  them  at  Khelat  until 
he  heard  that  the  army  was  approaching,  as  it  would  be  an 
immense  deal  of  trouble  to  victual  them  in  the  pass." 

"  I  know  that  Mr.  Macnaghten  received  news  which  in- 
duced him  to  believe  that  a  large  force  would  be  likely  to 
march  down  from  Candahar,  and  that  the  attitude  of  the 
princes  was  altogether  hostile.  It  is  on  account  of  that  news 
that  we  are  going  to  advance  in  two  or  three  days'  time, 
instead  of  waiting  for  another  three  weeks  for  a  larger 
stock  of  supplies  to  be  collected.  It  was  but  ten  days  ago 
that  the  commissary-general  sent  off  four  thousand  camels 
to  bring  up  supplies  from  the  rear.  However,  they  will  be 
useful  for  the  Bombay  column  which  is  coming  up,  as  it  is 
arranged  that  we  shall  collect  transport  and  supplies  for  them. 

"  Therefore  the  decision  has  been  taken  to  march  at  once, 
so  that  we  can  ascend  the  pass  before  the  enemy  send  a 
sufficient  force  to  hold  it  against  us.  No  doubt  the  report 
that  we  were  not  going  to  leave  here  for  another  three  weeks 
has  been  sent  up  to  Candahar.  The  Prince  is  sure  to  have 
agents  and  spies  here.  We  ought  to  be  at  the  foot  of  the 
Bolan  before  it  is  known  in  Candahar  that  we  have  started. 


IN  THE  SERVICE  117 

As  to  Khelat,  the  Khan  has  sent  in  assurances  of  his  friend- 
ship, and  I  expect  he  will  make  himself  safe  by  assuming 
neutrality;  but  the  Belooches  are  a  warlike  people,  and  born 
plunderers,  and  his  authority  is  very  slight,  except  in  Khelat 
and  the  district  near  it.  We  are  sure  to  have  trouble  with 
the  mountaineers,  but  beyond  having  to  protect  the  convoy 
strongly,  I  do  not  suppose  we  shall  have  serious  fighting  with 
them.  I  expect  that  we  shall  be  sent  off  to-morrow  or  next 
day  to  Khelat  and  Quettah,  perhaps  one  of  us  may  even 
go  to  Candahar.  I  know  that  Mr.  Macnaghten  thinks  that 
possibly  the  princes  may  not  take  an  active  part  on  Dost 
Mahomed's  side.  Everyone  knows  that  they  have  no  great 
love  for  their  brother;  which  is  not  surprising,  for  he,  who 
is  the  youngest  of  the  family,  has  managed  to  secure  the 
sovereignty.  Besides,  they  would  see  that  if  they  took  up 
arms  in  his  favour  the  whole  brunt  of  the  fighting  would 
fall  upon  them,  for  Cabul  could  render  them  no  real  assist- 
ance. They  are  very  shifty  gentlemen,  and  though  they 
may  make  a  show  of  force  at  first,  it  would  probably  be 
only  for  the  purpose  of  securing  advantageous  terms  for 
themselves." 

"  I  saw  them  when  I  was  at  Candahar,"  Angus  said, 
"and  they,  or  at  least  one  of  them,  questioned  me  closely; 
but  supposing  me  to  be  a  Persian  just  arrived  from  Herat, 
he  naturally  said  nothing  about  a  British  invasion.  His 
great  anxiety  was  to  know  what  the  intentions  and  power 
of  Russia  and  Persia  were.  No  doubt  the  plans  that  were 
formed  were  entirely  disconcerted  by  the  Shah's  retreat  from 
before  Herat.  I  saw  no  signs  whatever  of  any  gatherings 
of  the  Afghans,  nor  was  the  subject  ever  alluded  to  in 
the  conversations  I  had  with  traders  at  the  place  where  I 
lodged." 

At  this  moment  a  native  officer  came  in  and  said  that 


118  TO  HERAT  AND  CABUL 

Sir  Alexander  desired  to  see  Captains  Arbuthnot  and  Jones. 
As  they  buckled  on  their  swords  the  latter  said :  "  You  have 
told  us  about  Herat,  Mr.  Campbell,  and  this  evening  I  hope 
you  will  tell  us  about  your  journey  down." 

When  the  officers  returned  Angus  found  that  Arbuthnot 
was  not  mistaken  as  to  the  probable  work  they  would  have 
to  perform,  for  he  was  to  accompany  Major  Todd  the  next 
morning  with  an  escort  of  cavalry  for  Khelat.  They  were 
to  see  the  Khan  and  arrange  with  him  for  supplies  to  be 
sent  to  Dadur.  Captain  Jones  was  to  remain  there  to  see 
that  his  promises  were  carried  out,  and  Arbuthnot,  unless 
he  learned  that  a  force  from  Candahar  had  arrived  at 
Quettah,  was  to  go  on  there  and  see  to  the  collection  of 
grain  and  cattle. 

"A  squadron  of  cavalry  is  going  forward  to-morrow 
morning,  Campbell.  Four  hundred  labourers  are  going  with 
it,  and  you  are  to  be  in  special  charge  of  half  of  them.  Of 
course,  they  will  have  eight  or  ten  headmen,  but  they  will 
want  looking  after  all  the  same.  They  are  to  dig  wells  at 
Burshoree;  the  other  half,  under  you,  Macgregor,  are  to  do 
the  same  thing  at  Meerpoor.  It  is  a  thousand  pities  it 
was  not  done  before,  for  the  army  is  to  begin  its  advance 
the  day  after  to-morrow.  However,  you  will  gain  a  couple 
of  days  on  them,  and  that  is  something.  If  you  meet  Major 
Leech,  who  is  at  work  improving  the  roads,  you  will,  of 
course,  report  yourself  to  him,  and  he  will  doubtless  be  able 
to  advise  you  as  to  the  best  place  for  the  wells." 

Angus  heard  the  news  with  much  satisfaction.  In  the 
first  place  it  meant  active  work,  and  in  the  second  it  would 
save  him  from  the  slow  and  toilsome  march  of  the  army, 
which  would,  he  felt  sure,  be  accompanied  with  enormous 
hardship.  The  four  officers  dined  together.  Sir  A.  Burnes 
was  not  present,  as  he  was  dining  with  General  Cotton  and 
Mr.  Macnaghten.  After  dinner  Angus  related  his  adven- 


IN  THE  SERVICE  119 

ture  at  Candahar;  how  he  evaded  pursuit,  and  his  passage 
through  the  pass.  He  had  hardly  finished  when  he  was  sent 
for  to  the  general's  tent. 

"  I  have  just  been  telling  General  Cotton,  Mr.  Campbell," 
said  Mr.  Macnaghten,  "  that  you  arrived  this  morning  from 
Candahar.  He  wishes  to  learn  as  much  as  you  can  tell 
him  of  the  state  of  the  pass  at  present,  and  of  the 
country  between  Dadur  and  this  place.  I  told  him  that 
I  had  not  been  able  to  find  time  to  question  you  on  these 
points." 

"  In  the  first  place,"  the  general  said,  "  what  is  the  state 
of  the  Bolan?" 

"As  I  only  travelled  during  the  night  I  cannot  tell  you 
very  much  about  it.  The  river  is  not  high,  and  there  is 
no  difficulty  whatever  on  that  score.  The  ground  is  generally 
extremely  rough,  and  covered  not  only  with  rounded  boul- 
ders, but  by  rocks  that  will  prove  very  trying  to  the  feet 
of  the  animals.  We  bandaged  very  thickly  the  hoofs  of 
our  horses  to  deaden  the  sound,  and  so  saved  them  from 
being  lamed,  which  they  othewise  would  certainly  have  been. 
The  bandages  were  of  felt,  and  these  were  completely  cut 
to  pieces  the  first  night.  After  that  we  cut  up  one  of  the 
water-skins  I  had  with  me,  and  we  covered  the  felt  with 
the  leather,  but  even  this  was  cut  to  pieces,  and  had  to 
be  renewed  the  next  night.  Although  this  is  the  general 
character  of  the  pass,  there  are  places  at  which,  by  skirting 
the  foot  of  the  hills  at  points  where  the  pass  opens  out — 
and  the  hills  are  not  precipitous,  although  everywhere  steep 
— it  is  possible  for  mounted  men  to  go  along  at  a  fast 
walk,  the  stones  being  much  smaller,  and  like,  I  should 
think,  what  I  have  heard  of  a  sea-beach,  though  I  never 
saw  one,  at  least  that  I  can  remember." 

"  Still,  there  were  no  insurmountable  difficulties,  Mr. 
Campbell?" 


120  TO  HERAT  AND  CABUL 

"No,  sir,  though  there  were  places  where  certainly  not 
more  than  two  laden  camels  could  pass  abreast." 

"Well,  next  as  to  the  country  between  this  place  and 
Dadur.  We  know  about  it  as  far  as  the  edge  of  Beloochee 
Desert;  what  is  it  beyond  that?  Did  you  suffer  from  want 
of  water?" 

"  No,  sir,  at  the  villages  where  we  stoppped  there  was 
always  water;  but  there  were,  as  far  as  I  saw,  but  a  few 
small  wells,  which  would  seem  to  me  very  insufficient  for 
the  supply  of  an  army  and  its  train." 

"  Well,  we  are  going  to  dig  more  wells,"  Mr.  Macnaghten 
said  rather  impatiently.  "If  the  water  will  run  into  three 
or  four  wells  it  would  run  into  fifty.  Now,  about  forage?" 

"  There  were  small  patches  of  cultivation  round  each  of 
the  villages;  at  Bhag  more  than  elsewhere,  as  it  lies  nearer 
to  the  foot  of  the  hills;  but  at  Meerpoor,  Burshoree,  and 
Rojhan  I  should  not  say  there  were  more  than  twenty  or 
thirty  acres  of  cultivated  land.  At  Bhag  I  was  strongly 
advised  to  take  the  road  at  the  foot  of  the  hills  to  Dun- 
deaver  down  to  Larkhanna,  and  from  there  to  follow  the 
Indus  up  to  Sukkar;  but  the  guides  said  that  I  should  be 
more  likely  to  be  troubled  by  the  Beloochees  along  that 
route,  and  as  it  was  also  twice  as  far  I  took  the  straight 
way  here." 

"  Thank  you.  We  will  not  detain  you  any  longer,  Mr. 
Campbell,  and  we  are  obliged  for  the  information  that  you 
have  given  us." 

Angus  bowed  and  retired.  He  felt  that  Mr.  Macnaghten 
was  vexed  that  he  could  not  report  better  upon  the  chances 
of  obtaining  sufficient  supplies  of  forage  and  water.  But 
he  felt  that  it  was  clearly  better  that  he  should  give,  in  the 
plainest  terms,  the  true  state  of  affairs,  for  when,  as  he  was 
sure  would  be  the  case,  there  was  immense  suffering  of  men 


IN  THE  SERVICE  121 

and  animals,  the  blame  would  fall  upon  him  if  he  had  given 
a  more  hopeful  account  than  the  facts  warranted. 

Sir  A.  Burnes  sent  for  him  on  leaving  the  general's  tent. 

"  You  did  quite  right  in  not  giving  a  rose-coloured  descrip- 
tion of  the  state  of  things  along  the  line  of  march,  Mr. 
Campbell.  Of  course  neither  Mr.  Macnaghten  nor  General 
Cotton  liked  it.  Neither  of  them,  in  fact,  has  the  slightest 
idea  of  the  troubles  ahead  of  them,  and  both  were  inclined 
to  view  me  as  a  pessimist.  However,  it  will  not  matter  to 
you  very  greatly  whether  Macnaghten  is  pleased  with  you  or 
not,  because  your  reports  will  be  sent  in  to  me.  This 
sort  of  work  will  not  last  very  long.  I  have  only  under- 
taken it  because  Major  Garden,  General  Cotton's  quarter- 
master-general, has  been  taken  ill.  Major  Craikie,  the  ad- 
jutant-general, will  go  forward  with  me  the  day  after  to- 
morrow to  superintend  matters  generally.  I  hope  by  that 
time  to  have  a  thousand  more  men  for  well-digging.  Major 
Leech  has  gone  to  Sebee  to  cut  a  dam  there  on  the  river 
Naree,  which  it  is  hoped  will  fill  the  small  water-courses 
and  greatly  assist  us.  I  have  more  fear  about  forage  than 
water.  You  can  dig  wells  and  cut  dams,  but  you  can't 
get  a  crop  to  grow  at  a  day's  notice.  However,  we  must  hope 
for  the  best." 

The  next  morning  at  three  o'clock  Angus  and  Lieutenant 
Macgregor  started  with  the  laborours  and  an  escort  of  fifty 
native  cavalry. 

"  I  am  very  glad  to  be  off,  Campbell,"  Macgregor  said. 
"  It  has  been  disheartening  work  for  some  time.  Some- 
how or  other  nothing  has  gone  smoothly  since  we  started. 
Of  course  I  am  only  a  sub,  but  certainly  it  seems  to  me 
that  so  far  there  has  been  an  enormous  amount  of  un- 
necessary friction,  and  that  the  chiefs  have  not  gone  the 
right  way  to  work.  I  don't  believe  myself  in  this  Shah 


122  TO  HERAT  AND  CABUL 

whom  we  are  going  to  force  upon  the  Afghans.  Dost  Ma- 
homed is  worth  a  dozen  of  him,  and  no  one  who  knows 
anything  of  the  affairs  of  Afghanistan  is  able  to  under- 
stand why  Lord  Auckland  and  Macnaghten  and  the  rest 
of  them  should  ever  have  conceived  the  idea  of  supplant- 
ing a  man  who  has  shown  himself  really  desirous  of  our 
alliance  and  friendship,  and.  who  undoubtedly  possesses  the 
support  of  a  majority  of  his  countrymen,  by  one  who 
has  never  shown  any  talent,  who  has  no  party  whatever 
in  Afghanistan,  and  is  a  member  of  a  discredited  and  fallen 
family. 

"  Still,  that  is  their  affair ;  but  matters  have  been  com- 
plicated by  the  manner  in  which  the  Emirs  of  Scinde  have 
been  treated.  Instead  of  regarding  them,  as  they  have 
always  shown  themselves,  as  friendly  to  us,  we  have  gone 
out  of  our  way  to  render  them  hostile,  by  the  manner  in 
which  we  have,  in  absolute  contradiction  of  the  terms  of 
their  treaty  with  us,  compelled  them  to  furnish  carriage, 
provisions,  and  money.  Had  they  been  a  conquered  country 
we  could  not  have  carried  matters  with  a  higher  hand.  It 
will  be  sure  to  lead  to  trouble  some  day,  and  certainly 
adds  immensely  to  our  difficulties.  Now,  the  very  fact  that, 
in  the  days  when  he  was  for  a  short  time  ruler  in  Afghan- 
istan, Soojah  advanced  all  sorts  of  preposterous  claims  of 
suzerainty  over  a  large  portion  of  Scinde,  was  in  itself  a 
reason  why,  if  we  took  the  absurd  step  of  placing  him  on 
the  throne  of  Cabul,  we  should  have  advanced  from  Peshawur 
through  Jellalabad  direct,  instead  of  taking  this  roundabout 
journey  through  Scinde.  Of  course  there  would  have  been 
great  difficulties  in  the  Khyber,  and  we  should  have  had 
to  encounter  fierce  opposition  from  the  hill-tribesmen,  but 
that  will  have  to  be  met  in  any  case.  And  after  installing 
Soojah  at  Cabul,  we  could  have  gradually  extended  his 
power — or  ours,  for  of  course  he  would  be  but  a  puppet  in 


IN  THE  SERVICE  123 

our  hands — through  Ghuznee  to  Candahar.  Of  course  you 
won't  hear  any  talk  like  this  among  the  officers  of  the 
Bombay  or  Bengal  army.  They  know  and  care  nothing 
about  the  matter.  It  is  just  among1  the  men  who  have  been 
employed  here  in  the  north,  and  who  know  something  about 
it,  that  there  is  any  doubt  as  to  the  wisdom  of  the  affair. 
I  know  Burnes  considers  that  the  whole  thing  is  a  mistake. 
Colonel  Pottinger,  who,  as  our  resident  in  Scinde,  knows 
a  great  deal  about  the  Afghans,  says  little,  but  I  know 
that  he  disapproves  of  it ;  and  so,  I  think,  do  all  of  us  juniors, 
who  have  worked  either  under  him,  or  with  Burnes,  or 
up  in  the  Punjaub,  and  have,  of  course,  always  taken  an 
interest  in  the  affairs  of  Afghanistan,  especially  since  Russian 
influence  has  become  so  preponderant  in  Persia.  Well,  we 
can  only  hope  for  the  best,  and  do  our  best  in  our  own 
little  way.  Thank  goodness,  whatever  comes  of  it,  we  have 
no  responsibility  in  the  affair." 

"  I  really  know  very  little  about  it,"  Angus  said ;  "  but 
I  do  know  that  it  will  be  a  terrible  business  getting  the 
army  to  Quettah,  and  that  directly  it  was  determined  to 
come  this  way  arrangements  should  have  been  made  to  dig 
sufficient  wells  to  ensure  a  supply  of  water  at  every  watering- 
place,  and  to  collect  stores  of  forage  and  grain.  I  really 
don't  see  how  it  is  to  be  done  now.  From  all  that  I  could 
hear  as  I  came  down,  there  will  be  a  lot  of  trouble  with  the 
Beloochees." 

The  difficulties  of  the  advance  had  already  been  felt. 
Great  numbers  of  camels  had  died  between  Sukkar  and 
Shikarpore,  and  those  that  accompanied  the  party  of  well- 
diggers  were  enfeebled,  and  looked  as  if  they  had  accom- 
plished a  long  forced  march  instead  of  the  strong  and  fresh 
animals  one  would  expect  to  see  setting  out  on  such  an 
enterprise.  The  first  halting'-place  was  Jagan.  The  next 
day  they  started  at  the  same  early  hour  and  proceeded  to 


124  TO  HERAT  AND  OABUL 

Janeedera.  Here  they  had  passed  beyond  the  boundary  of 
the  Scinde  Ameers,  and  had  entered  the  territory  over  which 
the  Khan  of  Khelat  held  nominal  authority.  At  this  place 
there  was  a  small  mud  fort,  outside  of  which  straw  had 
been  collected  for  the  use  of  the  cavalry,  and  to  guard 
this  a  small  party  of  Shah  Soojah's  troops  had  been  posted. 
These,  however,  had  been  attacked  and  driven  off  by  a 
Beloochee  band,  and  the  straw  carried  away.  However, 
there  was  sufficient  water  in  the  wells  for  the  men  and 
animals. 

The  next  day's  march  was  a  long  one,  but  at  Rojhan  a 
certain  amount  of  forage  had  been  collected,  and  there 
was  a  fair  supply  of  water.  The  country  so  far  had  been 
barren,  with  occasional  bushes,  but  beyond  Rojhan  they  had 
nothing  but  an  absolutely  flat  surface  of  sand,  without  a 
blade  of  grass  or  a  bush  to  break  the  level  expanse;  across 
this  desert  the  party  toiled  on  for  twenty-seven  miles.  A 
little  water  was  carried  by  the  camels,  but  this  supply  was 
soon  exhausted,  and  with  parched  lips  and  throats  the  men 
plodded  on,  knowing  that  until  the  end  of  the  journey  no 
water  could  be  obtained.  Scarce  a  word  was  spoken  during 
the  painful  journey.  Passing  over  the  ground  as  he  came 
down  at  a  canter,  Angus  had  thought  but  little  of  it;  he 
had  done  it  in  less  than  four  hours,  and  there  was  no 
trouble  from  the  dust.  It  was  very  different  now.  It  was 
fourteen  hours  from  the  time  of  starting  before  they  reached 
Burshoree,  the  mounted  men  having  to  accommodate  their 
pace  to  that  of  the  labourers,  and  the  dust  rose  in  dense 
clouds. 

A  part  of  the  cavalry  rode  ahead,  the  rest  some  half  a 
mile  behind  the  main  body  of  the  footmen.  But  before 
half  the  journey  was  done  these  began  to  straggle,  and  the 
dust  had  no  time  to  settle  before  the  horsemen  came  along. 
Fully  half  the  labourers,  indeed,  threw  themselves  down  on 


IN  THE  SERVICE  125 

the  sand  incapable  of  going  farther,  and  lay  there  until  the 
cool  evening  air  revived  them,  and  it  was  long  after  mid- 
night before  many  of  them  reached  Burshoree.  Here  a 
considerable  number  of  wells  had  already  been  dug  by  the 
party  under  Major  Leech.  The  water  was  muddy,  and 
trickled  in  but  slowly.  Still  it  was  water,  and  men  and 
horses  drank  it  eagerly  as  fast  as  it  could  be  brought  up  in 
buckets  and  emptied  into  troughs  which  had  been  erected. 
Although  the  village — a  mere  collection  of  native  huts, 
surrounded  by  a  wall  as  a  protection  against  the  plundering 
Beloochees — offered  a  most  uninviting  prospect,  Angus  was 
well  pleased  that  he  had  arrived  at  the  end  of  his  journey, 
and  had  not,  like  Macgregor,  another  day's  march  to  per- 
form. The  latter  started  as  usual  at  three  o'clock,  and  an 
hour  later  Angus,  with  some  difficulty,  roused  his  two  hun- 
dred weary  men  and  set  them  to  work,  promising  them  that 
if  they  laboured  hard  he  would  allow  them  to  rest  during 
the  heat  of  the  day.  Cheered  by  the  promise,  the  labourers 
set  to  work  under  their  headmen.  Each  of  these  had 
charge  of  twenty  workmen;  these  were  divided  into  two 
gangs  and  worked  wells  close  together.  Angus  had  nothing 
to  do  save  to  exercise  a  sort  of  general  superintendence. 
The  soil  became  much  more  firm  a  few  feet  below  the  sur- 
face, and  as  the  sides  stood  satisfactorily  it  was  not  neces- 
sary to  make  the  wells  of  any  great  depth.  It  was  found 
that  four  men  only  could  be  employed  on  each,  two  working 
in  the  bottom  and  the  others  bringing  up  the  earth  with 
buckets  and  ropes,  consequently,  the  number  of  the  wells 
was  largely  increased.  After  three  days  of  prodigious  toil, 
water  was  reached  in  the  majority  of  the  wells,  and  by  the 
end  of  the  fourth  day  fifty  had  been  added  to  those  already 
dug.  The  liquid,  however,  oozed  in  but  slowly,  and  when 
a  well  was  emptied  it  was  two  or  three  hours  before  water 
could  again  be  drawn  from  it;  thus  although  the  amount 


126  TO  HERAT  AND  CABUL 

that  could  be  obtained  altogether  was  considerable,  it  was 
still  wholly  insufficient  for  the  supply  of  an  army.  Five- 
and-twenty  of  the  native  cavalry  were  kept  constantly  on 
the  alert,  for  parties  of  plundering  Beloochees  hovered 
round,  and  several  of  the  well-diggers  who,  in  spite  of  orders, 
ventured  to  wander  some  distance  away  were  robbed  and 
killed. 

The  next  morning  General  Thackwell,  with  a  body  of 
cavalry,  a  small  force  of  infantry,  and  some  irregular  horse, 
rode  into  the  place.  He  brought  with  him  an  order  from 
Sir  A.  Burnes  for  Angus  to  accompany  him.  The  well- 
diggers  were  to  remain  there  and  continue  their  work.  The 
general  had  intended  to  stop  there  for  two  or  three  days, 
but  finding  that  no  forage  could  be  procured,  he  started 
the  next  morning  early  an>d  rode  through  Meerpoor  to 
Oostar,  a  distance  of  twenty-seven  miles,  where,  as  had 
been  reported  by  Major  Leech,  there  was  a  small  reservoir 
of  water,  and  a  store  of  straw  and  grass  had  been  collected. 
Angus  stopped  for  an  hour  at  Meerpoor  and  had  a  talk  with 
Macgregor,  whose  men  had  also  accomplished  a  great  deal 
of  work,  and  who  bewailed  his  fate  at  having  to  remain 
there  instead  of  going  forward  with  General  Thackwell. 


CHAPTER  vrn 

THE    ADVANCE 

THE  cutting  of  the  dam  of  the  Naree  did  not  afford  so 
much  aid  as  had  been  hoped  for,  for  the  thirsty  soil 
absorbed  the  water  almost  as  fast  as  it  poured  out,  and 
it  was  not  until  many  days  later  that  it  began  to  fill  the 
little  irrigation  canals  at  the  villages  through  which  the 


THE  ADVANCE  127 

army  passed.  After  resting  two  days  at  Oostar,  the  force 
proceeded  to  Bhag,  a  town  of  some  size.  Here  water  was 
found  in  abundance,  and  grain  in  considerable  quantities, 
and  also  a  supply  of  carrots,  which  were  eagerly  purchased 
by  the  officers  for  the  use  of  their  horses.  At  the  various 
places  where  they  halted  Angus  acted  as  interpreter,  and 
rode  out  with  a  small  body  of  cavalry  to  villages  at  which 
they  learned  a  certain  amount  of  forage  could  be  obtained. 

At  Bhag,  to  his  great  satisfaction,  Sir  Alexander  Burnes 
joined  the  party.  He  had  paid  a  visit  to  the  Khan  of 
Khelat,  and  obtained  from  him  stringent  orders  to  the  head- 
men of  villages  and  others  to  do  all  in  their  power  to 
aid  the  army.  The  inhabitants  were  all  to  be  set  to  work 
to  dig  the  holes,  for  which  they  would  receive  payments 
from  the  British.  The  Khan  also  promised  to  despatch  to 
Dadur  what  supplies  he  could  gather,  but  explained  that 
unfortunately  there  was  a  much  greater  difficulty  than  usual 
in  collecting  provisions,  as  the  previous  season  had  been 
a  very  bad  one,  and  in  many  parts  of  the  country  the 
villagers  had  not  been  able  to  gather  sufficient  for  their  own 
needs.  As  Angus  had  heard  the  same  at  Candahar,  at  the 
village  near  Quettah,  and  from  his  guide,  there  could  be  no 
doubt  that  this  excuse  was  a  genuine  one,  and  indeed  the 
officers  who  had  been  engaged  in  Scinde  and  in  the  country 
bordering  the  Indus  affirmed  that  the  supplies  obtainable 
there  were  also  vastly  smaller  than  had  been  anticipated. 

Throughout  the  next  week  Angus  was  continually  em- 
ployed in  riding  among  the  towns  in  the  khanate,  inter- 
viewing headmen,  and  expediting  the  despatch  of  convoys. 
He  was  always  accompanied  by  a  troop  of  cavalry,  for 
plundering  parties  of  Beloochees  were  making  their  way 
on  all  sides  towards  the  line  followed  by  the  army,  where 
they  murdered  stragglers,  captured  lagging  camels,  and 
were  so  bold  that  they  ventured  close  to  the  outskirts  of 


128  TO  HERAT  AND  CABUL 

the  villages  occupied  by  the  British  camps,  robbed  the 
natives  of  the  moneys  paid  them  for  forage  or  grain,  and 
rendered  it  necessary  that  every  convoy  should  be  protected 
by  a  considerable  escort.  After  a  week  of  this  work,  Angus 
received  orders  to  join  the  force  that  was  gathering  at 
Dadur.  During  the  last  two  days'  march  the  difficulties 
with  regard  to  water  had  disappeared.  The  villages  had  all 
been  situated  on  the  Bolan  river,  and  little  irrigation  canals 
enabled  the  cultivation  of  a  considerable  tract  of  country  to 
be  carried  on,  which  supplied  forage  in  sufficient  quantity 
for  the  first  division  of  the  army  which  came  along. 

Dadur,  a  town  of  some  four  thousand  inhabitants,  stands 
on  the  eastern  branch  of  the  Bolan  river,  whose  banks  were 
fringed  with  high  reeds  and  groves  of  dwarf  trees.  The 
country  round  was  well  cultivated,  and  the  fields  were  cov- 
ered with  young  crops  of  wheat  and  barley.  Close  to  the 
town  were  gardens,  and  the  whole  presented  an  agreeable 
appearance  to  the  troops,  who  had  for  nearly  three  weeks 
been  painfully  making  their  way  across  country  which,  even 
at  its  best  points,  was  little  more  than  a  sandy  desert.  Here 
Angus  again  met  Sir  Alexander  Burnes,  who  had  been 
making  the  greatest  efforts  to  accumulate  supplies  at  the 
town.  His  success,  however,  had  been  very  small,  nor  had 
Major  Leech,  who  was  also  at  Dadur,  been  more  fortunate. 
It  had  been  reckoned  that  twenty  days'  supplies  for  the 
whole  army  would  have  been  accumulated  there,  but  not 
more  than  sufficient  for  two  or  three  days  had  been  gathered, 
and  General  Cotton,  on  arriving  there  with  the  Bengal 
army,  decided  that  it  was  necessary  for  at  least  a  portion  of 
the  army  to  advance  without  delay. 

Sir  Alexander  Burnes  started  at  once  with  Major  Cureton 
of  the  16th  Lancers,  with  a  troop  of  that  regiment,  three 
companies  of  the  Native  Infantry,  and  a  strong  party  of 


THE  ADVANCE  129 

sappers  and  miners,  to  survey  the  pass  up  to  Quettah. 
Major  Leech  was  sent  to  Khelet  to  maintain  a  strong 
pressure  upon  the  Khan,  and  it  was  still  hoped  that  stores 
might  be  collected  by  the  time  the  Bombay  army  came 
along.  The  report  sent  down  was  satisfactory  inasmuch  as 
the  physical  difficulties  of  the  journey  were  concerned.  In 
spite  of  the  fact  that  heavy  rains  had  fallen,  the  river  had 
not  risen  sufficiently  to  interfere  seriously  with  the  passage 
of  troops  and  animals,  and  on  the  16th  of  March  the 
Horse  Artillery,  2nd  Light  Cavalry,  the  13th  Regiment  of 
the  line,  and  the  48th  Native  Infantry,  started  early  in  the 
morning,  forded  by  torchlight  the  Bolan  river,  and  at  eight 
o'clock  pitched  their  camp  in  the  valley,  where  they  were 
to  rest  for  the  day. 

The  road  had  so  far  offered  no  difficulties,  except  that 
the  river  had  to  be  forded  no  fewer  than  eight  times.  The 
baggage  animals  which  started  at  midnight  had  already 
arrived,  but  the  tents  were  pitched  with  some  difficulty 
owing  to  the  rocky  nature  of  the  ground,  which  necessitated 
the  use  of  iron  tent-pegs  instead  of  the  wooden  ones  previ- 
ously used.  Fortunately,  owing  to  the  pause  that  had  been 
made  by  the  advance  parties  at  Dadur,  and  the  abundance 
of  succulent  food  they  had  obtained  there,  the  animals  had 
recovered  to  a  large  extent  from  their  previous  fatigues 
and  hardships,  and  the  journey  through  the  pass  was  accom- 
plished with  less  loss  and  suffering  than  had  occurred  dur- 
ing the  march  from  Sukkar.  Vast  numbers  of  animals,  how- 
ever, died,  and  the  troops,  who  had  started  full  of  life 
and  strength,  were  sadly  changed,  many  of  them  being 
utterly  worn  out  and  a  mere  shadow  of  their  former  selves. 
The  rumour  that  had  precipitated  the  march  by  three 
weeks,  upset  all  the  transport  arrangements,  and  caused  so 
vast  an  amount  of  suffering,  proved  to  be  false — no  for- 

(M807)  I 


130  TO  HERAT  AND  CABUL 

ward  movement  had  been  made  by  the  Candahar  princes, 
and  except  for  some  little  trouble  with  the  marauding  vil- 
lagers, the  march  was  entirely  unopposed. 

Once  in  the  Shawl  valley  the  fatigues  of  the  army  were 
over  for  the  time,  but  in  spite  of  the  efforts  of  Sir  A. 
Burnes  and  his  assistants,  only  a  very  small  amount  of  food 
and  forage  had  been  collected  in  readiness  for  them.  So 
small  indeed  was  the  supply  that  it  was  necessary  to  place 
both  the  troops  and  native  followers  on  reduced  rations  of 
flour,  rice,  and  ghee.  Meat,  however,  was  plentiful.  The 
proceedings  of  the  Khan  of  Khelat  were  not  of  a  character 
to  inspire  confidence  in  him.  While  protesting  strongly  his 
friendship  for  us,  he  told  our  officers  frankly  that  he  was 
certain  Shah  Soojah  would  not  retain  his  position  for  a  day 
after  the  British  troops  marched  away;  that  the  whole  feel- 
ing of  the  country  was  against  him,  and  that  although,  had 
he  advanced  with  only  a  native  army  raised  by  himself,  he 
might  have  been  accepted,  the  people  would  never  submit 
to  a  sovereign  thrust  upon  them  by  British  bayonets. 

Opinions  differed  much  as  to  his  sincerity.  Those  who 
doubted  it  pointed  to  the  fact,  that  although  he  was  said 
to  have  large  stores  of  provisions  at  Khelat,  he  had  scarcely 
sold  any  to  our  troops,  and  had  failed  in  all  his  promises 
in  that  direction.  On  the  other  hand,  Sir  A.  Burnes  main- 
tained that  the  stores  of  provisions  spoken  of  did  not  exist; 
and  that  in  any  case,  having  no  belief  in  the  possibility  of 
Shah  Soojah  maintaining  himself,  it  was  but  natural  that 
he  should  hang  back  until  he  saw  how  matters  went,  for  if 
he  were  to  give  any  active  aid  to  the  British  he  would  be 
considered  a  traitor  by  his  countrymen,  and  would  imperil 
his  khanate  and  his  life  when  our  protection  was  withdrawn 
from  him.  The  question  was  never  satisfactorily  cleared 
up.  Some  of  those  who  took  part  in  the  proceedings  and 
wrote  on  the  subject  regarded  him  as  a  very  ill-used  man? 


THE  ADVANCE  131 

while  others  considered  the  measures  afterwards  taken 
against  him  as  being  fully  justified  by  his  conduct. 

As  it  was  absolutely  necessary  that  food  should  be  ob- 
tained, parties  were  sent  into  the  villages  and  a  rigorous 
search  instituted,  and  in  this  way  a  considerable  quantity 
of  hidden  grain  was  discovered.  This  was  taken  and  paid 
for  at  the  market  price.  In  Quettah  itself  one  very  large 
store  was  found  and  taken  up  for  the  use  of  the  army. 

The  climate  was  pleasant,  and  in  spite  of  reduced  rations 
the  men  benefited  by  the  halt,  which  was  not  without  its 
excitement,  for  large  bands  of  plunderers  hovered  round,  at- 
tacks were  frequently  made  upon  parties  going  out  with 
camels  to  graze,  and  expeditions  to  punish  the  villages  to 
which  the  marauders  belonged  were  undertaken.  At  length 
General  Sir  John  Keane,  who  was  in  command  of  the  whole 
expedition,  arrived  at  Quettah,  to  the  satisfaction  of  the 
army,  for  it  was  thought  that  some  decision  must  now  be 
arrived  at.  It  was  evident  to  all  that,  unless  something 
were  done,  famine  would  ere  long  stare  them  in  the  face. 
The  European  troops  could  indeed  exist  upon  meat,  but  the 
native  troops  and  camp  followers,  the  greater  portion  of 
whom  were  not  meat-eaters,  were  already  in  sore  distress, 
the  supply  of  grain  and  rice  barely  sufficing  to  keep  life 
together.  The  hope  was  justified.  As  soon  as  the  general 
arrived  the  heads  of  the  departments  were  assembled  and 
arrangements  were  made  for  an  advance.  The  greater  por- 
tion of  the  Bombay  army  arrived  soon  after  their  com- 
mander, and  although  the  men  were  still  weakened  by  priva- 
tion the  army  was  in  most  respects  perfectly  capable  of 
carrying  out  the  work  successfully.  There  was,  however, 
one  serious  drawback  which  threatened  to  destroy  their 
efficiency:  the  horses  of  the  cavalry  and  artillery  and  the 
animals  of  the  transport  were  so  weakened  by  want  of  grain 
and  hay  that  they  were  altogether  unfit  for  hard  work. 


132  TO  HERAT  AND  CABUL 

It  was  upon  the  7th  of  April  that  the  army  moved  for- 
ward, seven  weeks  having  elapsed  since  they  started  from 
Shikarpore.  The  march  to  Candahar  was  long  and  painful, 
several  passes  had  to  be  traversed,  food  became  more  and 
more  scarce,  and  hundreds  of  animals  died  daily.  Beloochee 
plunderers  during  the  first  portion  of  the  journey,  and 
Afghan  raiders  during  the  second,  hung  along  the  line  of 
march,  murdering  all  who  straggled,  capturing  camels,  at 
times  even  threatening  an  attack  in  force.  They  were  able 
to  do  this,  as  our  cavalry  horses  were  so  broken  down  that 
they  could  scarcely  proceed  beyond  a  walk.  The  Candahar 
princes  with  a  large  following  came  out  to  give  battle;  but 
Hajee  Khan  Kakur,  one  of  the  leading  chiefs,  had  been 
bribed  by  our  political  officers,  and  deserting,  came  into 
our  camp  with  a  large  body  of  followers,  and  this  so  dis- 
heartened the  princes,  and  excited  so  much  fear  among  them 
of  further  treachery,  that  they  withdrew  at  once  to  Canda- 
har, and  a  few  hours  after  their  arrival  there  took  the 
northern  road.  After  immense  suffering  from  want  of  water 
and  food,  the  army  entered  the  city  on  the  26th  of  April, 
Shah  Soojah  having  gone  on  with  Hajee  Kakur  and  made  a 
formal  entry  into  the  town  two  days  previously. 

Angus  had  had  little  to  do  during  the  march  from  Quet- 
tah.  The  chances  of  obtaining  forage  or  food  at  the  deserted 
villages  near  the  line  of  march  were  so  small  that  Sir 
John  Keane  decided  that  it  would  be  useless  to  endeavour 
to  obtain  anything  there,  especially  as  an  officer  leaving 
the  main  body  had  to  be  accompanied  by  a  strong  escort 
to  protect  him  from  the  bands  of  marauders,  and  it  was 
deemed  inadvisable  to  give  the  horses  any  work  that  could 
be  avoided.  Angus's  own  animal,  being"  accustomed  to  the 
country,  suffered  less  than  those  from  the  plains,  and  in 
order  to  spare  it  as  much  as  possible,  and  keep  it  in  such 
a  condition  that  it  would  be  fit  for  work  were  he  ordered 


THE  ADVANCE  133 

to  make  any  expedition,  he  generally  walked  by  its  side 
the  greater  part  of  the  day,  preferring  this,  indeed,  to 
sitting  on  horseback  and  moving  at  the  snail's  pace  neces- 
sitated by  the  difficulties  of  the  road  and  the  slow  progress 
of  the  weakened  animals  of  the  baggage  train.  Among 
these  the  mortality  had  been  terrible,  and  one  writer  esti- 
mated that  no  fewer  than  thirty  thousand  transport  animals 
died  on  the  road  between  Sukkar  and  Candahar. 

Shah  Soojah  had  at  first  established  himself  in  his  camp 
outside  the  city,  but  two  days  after  the  arrival  of  the  army 
he  took  up  his  abode  at  the  palace.  He  was  accompanied 
by  his  own  officials  and  by  Macnaghten  and  Burnes  and 
their  assistants. 

"  What  are  you  smiling  at,  Campbell  ? "  Lieutenant  Mac- 
gregor,  who  had  been  his  companion  and  tent-fellow  since 
they  left  Dadur,  asked  as  they  rode  together  into  the  city. 

"  I  am  thinking  of  the  difference  between  my  position 
in  this  procession,  and  the  fact  that  I  am  going  to  take 
up  my  quarters  in  the  palace,  and  the  position  I  occupied 
when  I  was  last  here — a  pretended  trader,  suspected  and 
watched,  and  obliged  to  escape  by  night." 

"  Yes,  it  is  a  change,  certainly,"  Macgregor  said,  "  and 
one  for  the  better,  though,  after  what  we  have  gone  through 
and  all  we  may  have  to  go  through  before  we  leave  this 
wretched  country,  I  don't  think  it  would  be  safe  to  assert 
that  it  is  less  dangerous  now  than  it  was  then.  From  the 
time  we  left  Shikarpore  till  we  arrived  here  three  days  ago, 
we  have  never  had  a  decent  meal,  we  have  practically  never 
had  enough  to  eat,  we  have  suffered  horribly  from  thirst,  we 
have  never  dared  to  ride  a  hundred  yards  beyond  the  column 
or  camp;  we  have  lived,  in  fact,  dogs'  lives — not  the  life  of 
a  respectable  dog  in  England,  but  of  a  starving  cur  in  an 
Indian  bazaar.  We  don't  know  much  about  the  future;  I 
don't  suppose  we  shall  suffer  from  hunger  and  thirst  as  we 


134  TO  HEBAT  AND  CABUL 

have  done,  but  our  dangers  of  other  kinds  will  certainly  not 
be  abated.  Everything  looks  smooth  enough  here.  I  don't 
think  there  is  any  enthusiasm  at  all  for  Soojah,  but  there 
is  no  doubt  that  the  princes  were  hated,  and  the  people 
heartily  glad  to  be  rid  of  them.  I  fancy  that  we  shall  not 
have  much  difficulty  in  reaching  Cabul.  They  say  Ghuznee 
is  a  strong  place,  but  we  have  taken  scores  of  places  in 
India  that  the  natives  considered  impregnable.  Still,  con- 
sidering the  way  in  which  these  marauding  Afghans  hover 
round  us,  I  think  we  shall  have  a  very  uncomfortable  time 
of  it." 

As  the  soldiers  were  not  at  first  allowed  to  enter  the 
city,  the  merchants  there  speedily  established  a  temporary 
bazaar  outside  the  w'alls.  Here  vendors  of  rose-water,  of 
sherbet,  and  of  a  drink  concocted  of  the  juice  of  fruits, 
took  up  their  stalls.  People  from  the  country  round  brought 
in  loads  of  lucerne,  wheat,  barley,  wood,  and  chopped  straw. 
Other  merchants  displayed  posteens,  pelisses  made  of  sheep- 
skins, with  the  wool  inside  and  embroidered  outside  with 
blue,  red,  and  yellow  thread;  fowls,  sheep,  onions,  milk,  to- 
bacco, and  spices  were  also  on  sale,  and  before  long  the 
horse-dealers  of  Herat  brought  down  large  numbers  of  good 
animals,  which  were  eagerly  bought  up  by  officers  who  had 
lost  their  chargers.  As  soon  as  the  soldiers  were  allowed  tq 
enter  the  town  they  poured  into  it.  Wheaten  cakes,  cooked 
meat,  and  mulberries  tempted  their  appetite,  and  a  littlq 
later  plums  and  apricots  were  brought  in  in  great  pro- 
fusion. 

The  scenes  in  the  streets  were  very  amusing.  The  British 
soldiers  and  Sepoys  with  their  large  variety  of  uniforms 
mingled  with  the  people  of  the  town  and  country  round. 
Some  of  these  wore  long  cloaks  of  chintz  or  woollen  cloth, 
with  large  turbans;  their  hair,  beards,  and  moustaches  being 
allowed  to  grow  very  long,  and  the  beards  being  dyed  red. 


THE  ADVANCE  135 

Others  were  closely  shaven,  and  dressed  in  jackets  and 
trousers  of  blue  linen,  and  tunics  of  brown  cloth  with  long 
hanging  sleeves,  their  heads  being  protected  by  skull-caps  of 
various  colours. 

With  May  the  heat,  which  already  had  been  great,  be- 
came even  more  oppressive.  Water  was  abundant,  but  the 
troops  and  camp  followers  were  still  on  short  rations  of 
food.  The  price  of  grain  was  enormously  high,  and  there 
was  no  chance  of  the  magazines  being  replenished  until  the 
fields  were  ripe  for  harvest. 

It  was  not  until  nearly  three  weeks  after  possession  was 
taken  of  the  capital  that  a  force  was  despatched  under 
Brigadier  Sale  in  pursuit  of  the  princes — a  grievous  mis- 
take; for  Shah  Soojah  had  entered  Candahar  on  the  day  they 
left,  and  as  they  were  greatly  encumbered  by  their  baggage 
train,  the  ladies  of  the  harems,  and  a  host  of  camp  followers, 
they  might  easily  have  been  overtaken;  whereas,  after  their 
escape,  they  became  the  centre  of  intrigues  against  the 
Ameer. 

In  June  the  harvest  ripened,  large  quantities  of  grain 
were  bought  up  by  the  commissariat,  and  preparations  began 
for  the  advance  to  Cabul.  Candahar  was  quiet  and  apathetic. 
So  far  no  signs  were  visible  of  any  enthusiasm  for  their 
new  ruler  among  the  people.  Not  only  did  none  of  the 
neighbouring  chiefs  come  in  to  pay  their  allegiance,  but 
the  Shah's  orders  were  everywhere  disregarded.  Marauding 
bands  harassed  and  sometimes  attacked  convoys  coming  up; 
and  even  close  to  the  city  it  was  dangerous  for  the  soldiers 
to  move  many  hundred  yards  beyond  the  limits  of  their 
camps.  The  health  of  the  troops  was  far  from  good.  The 
plains  of  Candahar,  fertile  as  they  are,  are  unhealthy,  as 
water  can  be  found  everywhere  six  or  seven  feet  below  the 
surface.  The  native  troops  suffered  comparatively  little,  but 
the  European  soldiers  were  attacked  by  dysentery,  jaun- 


136  TO  HEEAT  AND  CABUL 

dice,  and  fever,  and  large  numbers  were  carried  off  by  these 
diseases. 

At  the  end  of  June  the  necessary  amount  of  grain  was 
accumulated  by  the  arrival  of  a  large  caravan  from  Mool- 
tan.  The  army  was  now  to  cut  itself  entirely  free  from  its 
former  lines  of  supplies,  and  would  have  to  depend  solely, 
upon  the  country  for  food,  as  the  ever-increasing  boldness 
of  the  Beloochees  in  the  Bolan  Pass,  and  of  the  Afghan 
marauders  between  Quettah  and  Candahar,  had  made  it  im- 
possible for  convoys,  unless  very  strongly  guarded,  to  make 
their  way  up. 

The  advance  began  at  two  o'clock  on  the  morning  of  the 
28th,  and  four  hours  later,  after  passing  through  a  fertile 
district,  the  troops  encamped  at  the  village  of  Killa  Azim. 
Here  they  obtained  barley  for  their  animals,  and  peasants 
from  other  villages  brought  in  an  abundance  of  chopped 
straw  for  the  camels.  At  midnight  the  trumpet  sounded, 
and  an  hour  later  the  army  moved  forward  again  as  far  as 
Kheil.  Four  days'  further  march  brought  them  to  Kelat-i- 
Ghilzye,  the  chief  town  of  the  Ghilzye  tribes.  Two  or  three 
hundred  of  their  horsemen  galloped  away  as  the  troops  ap- 
proached. 

Marching  ten  miles  a  day,  the  army  followed  the  valley 
of  the  Turnak,  which  afforded  an  ample  supply  of  water  for 
all  their  needs.  The  country  was  mountainous  and  deso- 
late, the  dreariness  being  only  broken  by  small  villages  with 
their  orchards  and  patches  of  cultivated  ground.  Grain  was 
brought  in  in  abundance.  The  force  was  now  far  above  the 
plain,  the  heat  ceased  to  be  oppressive  even  in  the  middle  of 
the  day,  and  the  mornings  and  evenings  were  delightfully 
cool.  Nevertheless,  the  number  of  sick  increased,  owing  to 
the  bad  quality  of  the  flour  and  the  absence  of  vegetables. 
The  country  now  became  more  thickly  populated,  little  vil- 
lages, with  the  fortified  dwellings  of  their  chiefs,  being 


THE  ADVANCE  137 

thickly  scattered  about.  The  hostile  tribesmen  followed  the 
march  on  both  flanks,  and  many  skirmishes  took  place;  on 
one  occasion  the  Ghilzye  marauders  made  an  attack  on  the 
line  of  march,  but  were  driven  off  with  heavy  loss.  On  the 
17th  a  nephew  of  the  Ameer  rode  in  with  fifteen  followers. 
He  had  gone  to  Ghuznee  with  his  brother  to  aid  in  its 
defence,  but  suspicions  being  entertained  by  Mohummed 
Hyder,  the  governor,  of  their  fidelity,  his  brother  was  seized 
and  put  to  death,  and  he  himself  only  escaped  a  similar 
fate  by  flight. 

As  they  approached  Ghuznee,  Sir  Alexander  Burnes  said 
to  Angus :  "  Mr.  Campbell,  I  shall  be  glad  if  you  will  resume 
your  Afghan  costume  and  ride  to-morrow  at  daybreak  with 
a  party  of  six  of  Hajee  Khan  Kakur's  men,  and  ascertain 
whether  the  enemy  are  in  strength  outside  the  fortress  and 
intend  to  oppose  our  approach.  If  they  do,  we  shall  leave 
the  baggage  here  under  a  strong  guard  and  proceed  to  attack 
them.  If  they  retire  into  the  fortress,  we  shall  advance  as 
we  have  been  doing,  for  possibly  the  siege  may  last  some 
time,  and  it  would  be  as  well  to  take  our  ammunition  and 
stores  with  us.  Will  you  undertake  that  mission?  I  do  not 
wish  you,  of  course,  to  approach  the  enemy  very  closely. 
They  will  naturally  take  you  for  a  party  coming  to  join 
them,  and  will  pay  no  attention  to  you.  Half  a  mile  will 
be  near  enough  for  you  to  go  to  the  fortress.  The  disguise 
is  only  necessary  because  they  too  may  have  parties  out,  and 
should  any  come  suddenly  upon  you,  you  would  pass  without 
suspicion  or  question;  and  indeed  should  you  be  stopped, 
your  knowledge  of  the  language  is  quite  good  enough  to 
pass  in  any  case.  I  have  requested  Hajee  Khan  to  choose 
well-mounted  men.  We  shall  remain  here  to-morrow,  and 
the  general  will  send  out  a  troop  of  cavalry  to  meet  you  on 
your  return  half-way  between  this  and  Ghuznee,  so  that 
should  you  be  pursued,  you  will  know  that  you  will  meet 


138  TO  HERAT  AND  CABUL 

with  succour  before  going  many  miles.  The  fortress  itself 
is  some  twelve  miles  from  this  camp." 

"I  will  undertake  it  willingly,  Sir  Alexander." 

Accordingly  on  the  following  morning  Angus  set  out. 
Azim  asked  leave  to  accompany  him,  but  he  refused. 

"  Your  horse  is  not  a  very  fast  one,"  he  said.  "  It  is  a 
good  beast,  but  we  may  have  to  ride  for  our  lives,  and  you 
would  soon  be  left  behind.  It  is  not  a  dangerous  expedi- 
tion, but  in  a  country  like  this  there  is  always  the  pos- 
sibility of  a  surprise.' 

After  riding  for  two  miles  the  fortress  of  Ghuznee  was 
seen.  It  was  situated  on  a  high  rock  and  surrounded  by 
a  wall  of  great  height  and  strength,  and  was  regarded  by  the 
Afghans  as  absolutely  impregnable.  As  they  approached, 
and  could  make  out  the  strength  of  the  fortifications,  it 
seemed  to  Angus  that,  except  by  famine,  it  would  be  next 
to  impossible  to  capture  it.  The  general  had  left  the  few 
heavy  cannon  he  had  brought  with  him  at  Candahar  because 
of  the  extreme  difficulty  of  getting  transport,  and  the  light 
field-pieces  could  make  but  small  impression  indeed  on  these 
massive  walls.  When  he  approached  within  a  mile  he  halted. 
There  were  no  signs  of  any  Afghan  force  in  front  of  it.  It 
was,  of  course,  possible  that  they  might  sally  out  when  they 
saw  the  army  approaching,  but  at  present  there  was  nothing 
to  show  that  they  meant  to  do  so.  He  was  about  to  turn, 
when  he  was  suddenly  seized  from  behind,  and  in  a  moment 
his  hands  were  bound  tightly  to  his  side  by  the  sashes  of 
two  of  his  escort.  The  Afghans  burst  into  a  shout  of  tri- 
umph. 

"  Infidel  dog,"  one  said,  "  did  you  think  because  Hajee 
Khan  Kakur  is  a  traitor  that  all  his  men  are  also.  You 
came  to  see  Ghuznee.  You  shall  see  the  inside  as  well  as 
the  outside.' 


THE  ADVANCE  139 

Angus  was  brave,  but  a  shudder  ran  through  him  as  he 
thought  of  the  fate  that  awaited  him.  The  Afghans  never 
spared  those  who  fell  into  their  hands,  and  fortunate  were 
those  who  were  speedily  killed,  for  in  many  cases  they  were 
tortured  before  they  were  done  to  death.  It  had  never  oc- 
curred to  him  to  doubt  for  a  moment  the  good  faith  of 
the  men  who  accompanied  him;  and  yet,  now  he  thought 
over  it,  such  a  possibility  should  have  been  foreseen,  since 
there  was  no  reason  why  the  men  should  be  traitors  to  their 
race,  although  for  the  moment  they  had  obeyed  their  com- 
mander's orders  and  ridden  with  him  into  the  British  camp. 
They  might  even  have  remained  faithful  to  him  had  not 
this  opportunity  of  rejoining  their  countrymen  presented 
itself.  Even  in  the  midst  of  his  own  deadly  peril  he  was 
glad  to  think  that,  by  his  refusal  to  allow  Azim  to  accom- 
pany him,  he  had  saved  him  from  the  fate  that  awaited 
himself. 

He  knew  well  that  no  entreaties  would  avail  to  soften 
the  heart  of  the  Afghan  commander,  and  determined  that, 
whatever  came,  he  would  maintain  a  firm  countenance  and 
meet  his  fate  bravely.  The  gate  of  the  fortress  stood  open. 
The  men  as  they  entered  said  a  few  words  to  the  guards 
stationed  there. 

"  We  were  forced,"  they  said,  "  to  accompany  the  traitor 
Hajee  Khan  Kakur  to  the  camp  of  the  infidel,  but  we  have 
taken  the  first  opportunity  to  desert,  and  have  brought  with 
us  this  man,  who  is  one  of  their  officers,  as  a  prisoner." 

"  Why  trouble  to  bring  him  as  a  prisoner  ? " 

"  We  thought  that  Mohummed  Hyder  would  like  to  ques- 
tion him,  and  are  bringing  him  here  to  show  that  we  are 
true  men." 

Climbing  a  steep  road,  they  entered  a  great  courtyard. 
Here  they  dismounted,  and  their  leader,  a  sub-officer,  went 


140  TO  HERAT  AND  OABUL 

forward  to  the  governor's  house,  followed  by  two  others, 
between  whom  Angus  walked.  The  leader  entered,  the  others 
remained  outside  until  he  returned. 

"Follow  me  with  the  captive,"  he  said,  "Mohummed 
Hyder  will  speak  to  him." 

A  minute  later  Angus  stood  before  the  governor.  He 
was  seated  on  a  divan,  and  several  other  chiefs  of  impor- 
tance were  standing  or  sitting  round. 

"  They  tell  me,"  the  governor  said,  "  that  you  can  speak 
our  tongue  ? " 

"I  can  do  so,"  Angus  said  quietly. 

"  Where  did  you  learn  it  ? " 

"In  Herat,  where  I  fought  during  the  siege,  against  the 
Persians." 

"  And  now  you  come  hither  as  a  spy  ?  " 

"  Not  as  a  spy.  I  came  here  only  to  view  the  fortress 
from  a  distance." 

"Is  it  true  that  the  kafirs  are  bringing  no  big  guns  with 
them?" 

As  the  governor  was  doubtless  well  informed  as  to  the 
strength  of  the  British  army  and  the  number  of  its  guns, 
Angus  felt  that  there  could  be  no  harm  in  answering  the 
question. 

"  They  are  not,"  he  said. 

"How  do  they  intend  to  take  Ghuznee?  Will  they  fly 
over  the  walls  or  burrow  through  the  rock?"  the  governor 
said  scoffingly.  "  Are  they  madmen,  who  think  they  can 
tear  down  the  walls  of  Ghuznee  with  their  finger-nails  ? " 

"  I  know  nothing  of  the  plans  of  the  general,"  Angus 
replied.  "  But  the  British  have  taken  many  strong  places 
in  India  when  it  seemed  that  it  could  not  be  done." 

"  They  will  not  take  Ghuznee.  When  the  first  shot  is 
fired  at  its  walls  we  will  throw  over  to  them  your  head  and 
your  limbs,  to  show  that  we  despise  them  and  mock  their 


THE  ADVANCE  141 

foolish  effort.  Take  him  away,  Yakoob.  Do  you  see  him 
safely  bestowed." 

Angus  was  led  to  a  cell  in  one  of  the  turrets  on  the 
wall.  His  weapons  had  been  taken  from  him  when  he  was 
first  captured,  and  when  he  reached  the  prison  his  arms 
were  unbound  by  the  leader  of  the  band,  who  carried  off 
the  sashes  to  the  men  to  whom  they  belonged.  A  massive 
door  was  closed  behind  them,  and  Angus  heard  two  heavy 
bolts  shot — a  proof  that  the  tower  was  often  used  as  a 
prison.  Listening,  he  heard  another  door  at  the  foot  of 
the  turret  closed  and  bolted.  The  window  was  a  mere 
loophole,  but  it  commanded  a  view  of  the  road  by  which  he 
had  been  brought  up.  The  cell  was  circular  in  shape,  and 
some  ten  feet  in  diameter;  it  was  absolutely  bare.  Angus 
stood  for  some  little  time  looking  through  the  loophole.  It 
was  three  feet  wide  on  the  inner  side,  but  narrowed  to  six 
inches  at  the  outlet;  the  wall  was  more  than  two  feet  thick, 
and  of  solid  stone. 

"It  is  evident  that  there  is  no  possibility  of  escape,"  he 
said  aloud  as  he  turned  away  from  the  loophole.  "  Even 
if  I  could  widen  the  hole  so  to  be  able  to  creep  through, 
there  is  a  fall  of  a  hundred  feet  or  so;  and  there  is  nothing 
of  which  a  rope  could  be  made.  I  have  my  knife,"  he  said, 
"fortunately  they  did  not  think  of  looking  in  my  pockets; 
but  though  it  has  a  good  long  blade,  and  I  might  at  the  end 
sell  my  life  as  dearly  as  possible,  and  force  them  to  kill 
me,  it  can  be  of  no  earthly  use  here,  for  there  is  nothing 
to  cut  except  that  rough  plank  in  the  corner,  which  was,  I 
suppose,  brought  up  for  some  purpose  or  other  and  for- 
gotten." 

The  day  passed  slowly.  No  one  came  near  him  until,  just 
as  the  sun  was  setting,  two  soldiers  came  in  bringing  a  jug 
of  water  and  some  bread.  Angus  had  little  sleep  that  night. 
He  dozed  off  occasionally,  but  the  hardness  of  the  stone 


142  TO  HERAT  AND  CABUL 

floor  and  the  cold  speedily  roused  him,  and  he  was  glad 
indeed  when  daylight  returned  and  the  sun  shone  out.  An 
hour  later,  when  looking  from  his  prison  window,  he  per- 
ceived a  party  of  horsemen.  Long  before  he  could  dis- 
tinguish their  figures  he  made  sure  that  they  were  British 
troops,  from  the  fact  that  two  or  three  rode  ahead,  and  the 
rest,  evidently  an  escort,  in  a  close  body  behind  them. 
They  approached  within  musket-shot.  As  soon  as  they  did 
so  a  fire  of  matchlocks  broke  out  from  the  walls.  They 
drew  off  a  little,  and  then  turned  and  rode  off.  There  was 
no  doubt  that  they  were  a  reconnoitring  party,  who  had 
ridden  forward  to  ascertain  the  best  spot  for  an  attack. 

Two  hours  later  three  regiments  of  infantry  came  up, 
followed  by  a  battery.  The  object  of  their  approach  was  to 
discover  whether  Ghuznee  was  held  in  force,  for  reports  had 
reached  the  camp  that  the  greater  portion  of  the  garrison 
had  retired.  It  answered  its  purpose,  for  the  guns  of  the 
fortress  opened  fire,  and  for  an  hour  there  was  an  exchange 
of  shot  between  them  and  the  battery.  The  object  of  the 
reconnaissance  being  fulfilled,  the  British  returned  to  their 
camp.  Not  until  five  o'clock  was  any  further  movement 
perceptible;  then  Angus  saw  a  long  dark  line  ascending 
the  pass.  On  reaching  its  head  the  column  made  a  wide 
detour,  so  as  to  keep  beyond  the  range  of  the  guns  of  the 
fortress,  and  then  entered  a  rocky  and  difficult  country  to 
the  east.  As  he  knew  that  the  gates  had  all  been  walled 
up  with  masonry  with  the  exception  of  that  through  which 
the  road  from  Cabul  entered  it,  he  had  no  doubt  that  it  was 
intended  to  encamp  on  that  side,  thus  cutting  off  the  fortress 
from  relief  by  the  army  assembled  under  another  of  the 
Ameer's  sons,  and  at  the  same  time  preventing  the  flight  of 
the  garrison.  As  long  as  it  was  light  the  column  was  still 
passing  on — a  long  line  of  baggage  waggons  and  native 
followers,  guarded  by  bodies  of  troops  against  any  sortie 


THE  ADVANCE  143 

that  might  be  made.  During  the  night  occasional  shots 
were  fired  from  the  fortress,  and  at  various  points  of  the 
plain  and  on  the  surrounding  hills  fires  raised  gave  indica- 
tions of  gatherings  of  tribesmen. 

It  had  indeed  been  a  painful  and  difficult  march.  Several 
streams  and  water-courses  swollen  by  rain  had  had  to  be 
crossed,  but  with  enormous  exertions  the  whole  force  was 
established,  and  on  the  following  morning  tents  were  erected 
along  the  position  chosen.  Sir  John  Keane,  accompanied 
by  General  Cotton,  ascended  the  heights,  took  a  survey  of 
the  fortress,  and  decided  upon  the  plan  of  attack.  At  two 
o'clock  in  the  afternoon  a  body  of  Afghan  horse  suddenly 
attacked  the  camp  in  the  rear,  but  were  beaten  off  by  our 
own  cavalry.  Angus  heard  the  outburst  of  firing,  and  con- 
cluded that  the  governor  would  ere  long  carry  out  his 
threat.  He  had  no  idea  what  the  commander-in-chief's  plan 
was,  but  he  felt  certain  that  the  attack  when  made  would 
be  sudden  and  sharp,  and  would  be  in  the  nature  of  a 
surprise,  for  in  no  other  way  did  it  seem  possible  that  a 
force,  however  strong,  could  without  artillery  capture  the 
place.  In  that  case  there  was  just  a  posibility  that  in  the 
excitement  of  the  moment  his  existence  would  be  forgotten. 

"  At  any  rate,"  he  said  to  himself,  "  I  will  do  what  I 
can  to  defer  the  moment  of  my  execution.  I  don't  suppose 
it  will  be  of  the  smallest  use,  but  as  I  have  nothing  else 
to  do,  I  will  cut  some  wedges,  and  as  soon  as  the  attack 
begins  in  earnest  I  will  jam  them  in  round  the  door." 

For  the  rest  of  the  day  he  occupied  himself  in  cutting 
strips  of  wood  off  the  plank  and  fashioning  wedges,  of 
which  he  made  about  four  dozen,  the  work  sufficing  to  keep 
his  thoughts  from  dwelling  upon  his  probable  fate.  He 
concealed  all  these  in  his  clothes;  then  he  cut  off  a  stout 
piece  of  plank  and  fashioned  it  into  the  form  of  a  short 
thick  bat,  with  which  to  drive  the  wedges  into  their  place. 


144  TO  HEKAT  AND  OABUL 

Then  he  laid  the  plank  in  its  place  again,  with  the  freshly- 
cut  side  against  the  wall,  swept  up  the  chips,  and  threw 
them  out  of  the  loophole.  He  thought  it  probable  that  Sir 
John  Keane  would  attack  without  any  delay,  as  it  was  all- 
important  to  capture  the  citadel  before  the  relieving  army 
from  Cabul  and  the  forces  of  three  or  four  great  chiefs 
which  were  also  in  the  neighbourhood  could  join  hands  and 
attack  him  in  the  rear,  while  the  powerful  garrison  sallied 
out  and  fell  upon  him  in  front. 


CHAPTEE  IX 

JUST  IN  TIME 

THE  plan  of  the  British  general  for  the  capture  of  Ghuz- 
nee  was  a  bold  one.  He  knew  that  his  little  guns 
could  make  no  impression  upon  the  walls,  and  that  it  would 
take  weeks  before  it  would  be  possible  to  effect  a  breach. 
His  idea  was  to  blow  in  the  gate  and  to  pour  his  troops 
in  through  the  opening.  His  plans  were  admirably  laid. 
At  midnight  six  companies  of  infantry  established  them- 
selves in  the  gardens  to  the  right  and  left  of  the  spot 
where  the  assaulting  column  were  to  take  up  their  position, 
ready  to  advance  as  soon  as  the  gate  was  blown  in.  Two 
hours  later  three  companies  of  a  native  regiment  made  a 
detour  and  took  up  a  position  to  the  north  of  the  fortress. 
The  field  artillery  took  up  their  post  on  a  height.  At  three 
o'clock  in  the  morning  the  infantry  on  the  north  opened  a 
musketry  fire.  At  the  same  moment  the  artillery  on  the 
hills  began  a  brisk  cannonade,  while  a  camel  battery  directed 
its  fire  against  the  walls.  The  guns  of  the  fortress  at  once 
replied,  and  the  walla  were  fringed  with  the  musketry  fire. 


JUST  IK  TIME  145 

It  was  still  an  hour  to  daylight  when  Captain  Thompson, 
of  the  Royal  Engineers,  with  a  party  of  his  men,  crept 
forward  to  the  gate,  carrying  with  them  nine  hundred  pounds 
of  gunpowder  in  twelve  sacks. 

The  movement  was  altogether  unobserved  by  the  gar- 
rison, who  had  been  taken  completely  by  surprise  by  the 
sudden  fire.  The  night  had  been  exceptionally  favourable 
for  the  attempt.  The  wind  blew  so  strongly  that  the  tramp 
of  the  columns  and  the  sound  of  the  wheels  of  the  guns 
failed  to  reach  the  ears  of  the  sentries  on  the  walls.  When 
the  fire  broke  out  the  Afghans  at  once  burned  numbers  of 
blue  lights  to  endeavour  to  obtain  a  clear  view  of  the 
attacking  force;  but  the  light  failed  to  pierce  the  darkness, 
and  the  fireworks  burned  but  fitfully  owing  to  the  force  of 
the  gale.  They  therefore  distributed  themselves  along  the 
whole  circuit  of  walls  instead  of  concentrating  upon  the 
point  where  the  attack  was  about  to  take  place. 

The  Engineers  had  done  their  work  admirably.  They 
crept  silently  along  the  causeway  which  afforded  a  passage 
across  the  moat,  and  then  up  the  steep  ascent  which  led 
to  the  gate,  unnoticed  by  those  who  manned  the  loopholes. 
Two  minutes  sufficed  to  place  the  sacks  in  position.  The 
fuse  was  then  fired,  and  the  party  ran  back  to  such  cover 
as  they  could  find.  At  this  moment  the  Afghans  lit  a  large 
and  brilliant  blue  light  immediately  over  the  gate,  but 
before  they  could  obtain  any  idea  of  what  was  passing  below 
the  explosion  took  place.  The  gate  was  blown  to  pieces,  and 
masses  of  masonry  and  fractured  beams  fell  into  the  passage 
beyond.  Then  a  bugle  was  sounded  by  the  Engineers,  and 
the  storming  party  rushed  down  and  crept  into  the  dark, 
blocked-up  passage.  Here  they  were  fiercely  opposed.  The 
Afghans  had  rallied  almost  instantly  from  their  first  sur- 
prise, and  rushed  down  to  defend  the  passage.  A  desperate 
struggle  took  place  in  the  dark,  but  British  valour  was  tri- 

(M897)  K 


146  TO  HERAT  AND  CABUL 

umphant,  and  the  four  companies  of  the  2nd  and  17th  Regi- 
ments fought  their  way  into  the  interior  of  the  fortress. 

Had  they  been  at  once  supported  by  the  column  behind 
them,  commanded  by  Brigadier-general  Sale,  the  capture  of 
Ghuznee  would  have  been  comparatively  bloodless;  but  as 
he  was  advancing  he  met  one  of  the  Engineer  officers,  who 
had  been  terribly  bruised  and  injured  by  the  explosion. 
Upon  being  questioned,  the  latter  said  that  the  gate  had  been 
blown  in,  but  that  the  passage  was  blocked  with  the  ruins. 
As  in  that  case  it  would  have  been  madness  to  advance, 
the  general  ordered  the  retreat  to  be  sounded.  The  call  was 
heard  by  the  leading  companies,  but  not  obeyed.  Instead 
of  the  troops  retreating,  they  halted  irresolutely,  rather 
than  carry  out  an  order  the  most  unwelcome  that  can  be 
given  to  British  soldiers.  Fortunately  another  Engineer 
officer  soon  came  along  and  assured  the  brigadier  that,  al- 
though the  passage  was  greatly  blocked,  the  storming  party 
had  made  their  way  through;  whereupon  the  column  at  once 
rushed  forward.  The  delay,  however,  had  given  the  garrison 
time  to  rally,  and  large  numbers  had  run  down  from  the 
wall  to  take  part  in  the  fight.  Many,  however,  despairing 
of  successful  resistance  now  that  their  assailants  had  won 
their  way  into  the  town,  allowed  the  storming  party  to  pass 
and  then  attempted  to  escape  through  the  gateway.  But  as 
they  did  so,  General  Sale  with  the  head  of  his  column  arrived, 
and  another  desperate  fight  took  place  among  the  ruins  of 
the  gate. 

The  general  himself  was  cut  down,  and  his  assailant  en- 
deavoured to  complete  his  work.  Sale  succeeded  in  grasp- 
ing his  sword  hand,  but,  weakened  by  his  wound,  must  have 
been  overpowered  had  not  an  officer  run  up  and  severely 
wounded  the  Afghan.  The  struggle  continued,  but  the  gen- 
eral managed  to  gain  his  feet  and  cut  down  his  assailant. 

The  column  was  a  long  time  in  passing  over  the  heap  of 


JUST  IN  TIME  147 

ruins,  now  further  encumbered  by  wounded  and  dead.  As 
soon  as  they  had  entered,  the  reserve,  who  had  been  suffering 
from  the  fire  of  the  Afghans  still  on  the  walls,  followed 
them,  and  while  General  Sale's  division  ascended  the  steep 
path  that  led  to  the  citadel,  which  rose  far  above  the  rest 
of  the  fortress,  the  reserve  began  the  work  of  clearing  out 
the  Afghans  from  the  houses.  Large  numbers  of  Afghans 
had  taken  refuge  here  as  the  troops  entered,  and  these,  rush- 
ing out,  flung  themselves  upon  the  troops  with  the  fury  of 
despair.  Many  of  these  who  had  first  entered,  exhausted  by 
their  exertions,  were  with  the  wounded  sitting  in  the  court- 
yard at  the  foot  of  the  citadel.  Upon  these  the  fanatics 
rushed,  cutting  and  slashing  with  their  keen  tulwars  alike 
at  the  soldiers  who  started  to  their  feet,  the  wounded  on  the 
ground,  and  their  own  horses,  who,  mad  with  terror,  were 
galloping  wildly  over  the  courtyard.  A  series  of  desperate 
hand-to-hand  conflicts  were  waged  until  the  last  of  the 
Afghans  were  shot  or  bayoneted.  The  walls  were  cleared 
with  little  difficulty,  but  many  soldiers  were  shot  as  they 
passed  through  the  narrow  streets  of  the  native  town.  All 
resistance  ceased  at  a  quarter  past  five.  Thus  in  two  hours 
and  a  quarter  after  the  first  shot  was  fired,  a  fortress  deemed 
impregnable  and  garrisoned  by  three  thousand  five  hundred 
men  was  captured. 

Ghuznee  had  been  provisioned  for  six  months,  and  so 
certain  was  Mohummed  Hyder  of  the  ability  of  the  place  to 
hold  out  that  he  had  brought  with  him  all  the  ladies  of  his 
zenana.  In  spite  of  the  desperate  nature  of  the  fighting1, 
not  one  of  the  Afghans  who  surrendered  was  injured,  nor 
was  the  slightest  insult  offered  to  the  ladies  of  the  zenana 
or  the  women  in  the  native  town.  The  troops  who  had 
ascended  to  the  citadel  found  the  gates  open,  the  Afghan 
prince  having  lost  all  hope  as  soon  as  he  found  the  lower 
fortress  in  possession  of  the  British.  He  was  found  hiding 


148  TO  HERAT  AND  CABUL 

in  disguise,  and  was  brought  before  Shah  Soojah.  The 
latter  magnanimously  said  to  him :  "  What  has  been  has 
been;  you  have  deserved  evil  at  my  hands,  but  you  have 
this  day  behaved  like  a  brave  man.  I  forgive  thee  the 
past;  go  in  peace."  The  young  prince  was  then  handed  over 
to  Sir  Alexander  Burnes  for  safe  custody. 

The  success  had  been  cheaply  purchased.  Only  seventeen 
non-commissioned  officers  and  privates  had  been  killed,  and 
eighteen  officers  and  a  hundred  and  forty-seven  men  wounded. 
Of  the  Afghans,  five  hundred  and  fourteen  bodies  were 
buried  next  day;  more  than  a  hundred  fugitives  were  killed 
outside  the  walls;  upwards  of  a  thousand  horses,  a  great 
number  of  camels  and  mules,  vast  quantities  of  provisions, 
ammunition,  and  arms  fell  into  the  hands  of  the  conquerors, 
together  with  more  than  fifteen  hundred  prisoners.  Over  a 
thousand  made  their  escape. 

At  the  first  outburst  of  firing  Angus  had -sprung  to  his 
feet;  as  the  fight  increased  in  fury  he  was  certain  that  a 
night  attack  was  in  progress,  and  he  at  once  proceeded  to 
drive  in  the  wedges  he  had  prepared.  Just  as  he  had  com- 
pleted this  he  heard  the  dull  roar  of  the  explosion,  followed 
by  loud  and  excited  shouts,  but  the  noise  of  the  gale  pre- 
vented him  from  catching  the  words.  He  had  no  doubt, 
however,  that  either  the  gate  had  been  blown  in  or  that  a 
mine  had  been  driven  into  the  wall,  and  that  the  explosion 
of  an  immense  charge  of  powder  had  effected  a  breach. 
Then  came  the  sound  of  a  heavy  and  continuous  rattle  of 
musketry.  The  cannon  of  the  fortress  opened  fire,  while 
those  of  the  besiegers  answered.  By  the  occasional  fall  of 
masses  of  masonry,  and  the  screams  of  women,  he  had  no 
doubt  that  the  British  artillery  were  now  directing  their 
fire  against  the  citadel,  in  order  to  add  to  the  confusion 
among  the  defenders  of  the  fortress. 


HE   TOOK  DOWN   THE    PROP,    AND   THRUST   IT   SUDDENLY 
WITH  ALL   HIS  FORCE   THROUGH  THE   HOLE. 


JUST  IN  TIME  149 

Presently  he  heard  a  rush  of  feet  up  the  staircase,  then  the 
bolts  of  the  door  were  pulled  back,  and  a  yell  of  rage  and 
surprise  arose  as  the  door  did  not  yield  to  the  push  against 
it.  The  staircase  was  a  very  narrow  one,  and  but  one 
person  could  mount  at  a  time.  As  it  terminated  at  the 
door,  one  man  only  could  use  his  strength  against  it,  and 
Angus  felt  perfectly  sure  that  it  would  need  a  much  greater 
pressure  than  this  to  force  it  open.  He  had  already  propped 
the  plank  against  it,  and  stood  with  his  foot  at  the  lower 
end  to  prevent  it  from  slipping.  The  man  next  to  the  door, 
finding  that  it  did  not  yield,  began  to  hammer  with  the 
hilt  of  his  sword,  but  soon  desisted,  finding  that  his  blows 
did  not  even  shake  it.  There  was  a  confused  sound  of  talk- 
ing, and  then  silence  for  a  few  minutes;  then  there  was  a 
renewed  noise,  and  a  heavy  blow  was  struck  at  the  door. 
Evidently  a  large  block  of  wood  had  been  brought  up;  but 
this  did  not  greatly  alarm  Angus.  The  staircase  was  a  cir- 
cular one,  and  at  most  but  two  men  could  work  the  batter- 
ing-ram, which  on  account  of  the  confined  space  was  neces- 
sarily short. 

This  proving  unsucessful,  there  was  again  silence.  After 
an  interval  came  blows  of  a  sharper  sound,  an  axe  of  some 
sort  was  being  used.  During  the  lulls  of  the  wind  the  sounds 
of  the  struggle  below  could  be  plainly  heard,  and  as  it 
was  now  dawn  Angus  could  have  seen  what  was  going  on 
had  not  the  loophole  been  on  the  opposite  side,  but  from 
the  sharpness  of  the  sound  he  had  no  doubt  that  the  firing 
was  in  the  courtyard,  and  that  his  countrymen  had  effected 
an  entrance.  The  chopping  went  on  regularly.  The  door 
was  thick  and  strong,  and  it  was  half  an  hour  before  the 
edge  of  the  axe  first  showed  through  it;  another  five  minutes 
and  a  hole  a  foot  wide  appeared  some  four  feet  from  the 
ground,  At  this  rate  it  would  be  some  time  before  an 


150  TO  HEBAT  AND  CABUL 

opening  large  enough  for  a  man  to  pass  through  could  be 
made.  He  took  down  the  prop,  and  thrust  it  suddenly  with 
all  his  force  through  the  hole,  striking  the  man  who  was 
wielding  the  axe  full  in  the  face. 

There  was  a  terrible  cry,  mingled  with  yells  of  rage  from 
the  others.  Presently  a  pistol  was  thrust  through  the  hole 
and  fired;  he  had  expected  this,  and  had  stood  back.  Again 
and  again  shots  were  fired.  It  was  evident  that  there  was 
an  unwillingness  on  the  part  of  his  assailants  to  try  the 
axe  again.  Presently  he  heard  a  shout  from  below.  The 
words  came  up  distinctly,  "  Mohummed  Hyder's  orders  are 
that  the  attack  is  to  cease,"  and  Angus  felt  that  he  was  saved. 
The  prince,  indeed,  seeing  that  all  was  lost,  had  sent  an 
officer  in  great  haste  to  put  a  stop  to  the  attack  on  his 
prisoner's  cell.  He  no  longer  thought  of  carrying  out  his 
former  intentions.  The  British  army  was  not  after  all  an 
impotent  enemy  to  be  insulted,  but  a  victorious  one  to  be 
appeased,  and  as  soon  as  he  was  informed  of  the  attack 
on  his  prisoner's  cell  he  had  sent  off  to  put  a  stop  to  it.  It 
had  not  been  made  by  his  orders,  but  was  the  act  of  the 
soldiers  on  the  wall  near  it,  who,  seeing  that  the  British 
had  entered,  had  determined  to  take  vengeance  upon  the 
captive. 

A  few  minutes  later  Angus  heard  the  triumphant  cheers 
of  the  troops  as  they  poured  in  through  the  open  gate  of 
the  citadel. 

It  was  another  hour  before  the  contest  in  the  courtyard 
below  and  on  the  walls  of  the  fortress  came  to  an  end. 
Shortly  afterwards  he  heard  steps  approaching,  and  through 
the  hole  in  the  door  saw  a  British  officer  coming  up  the 
stair;  behind  him  was  Azim. 

"I  am  glad  indeed  to  see  you,  Campbell,"  the  officer  said, 
as  he  caught  sight  of  his  face.  "  We  had  all  given  you  up  as 
dead  when  we  found  that  none  of  your  escort  came  back; 


JUST  IN  TIME  151 

but  your  boy,  on  questioning  the  prisoners,  found  out  tbat 
you  were  confined  here,  and  came  at  once  to  tell  me.  I 
see  by  the  state  of  the  door  that  you  have  been  standing  a 
siege.  Are  you  uninjured?" 

"Yes,  my  rascally  troops  seized  me  suddenly  and  brought 
me  here.  I  will  tell  you  about  it  as  soon  as  I  have  unfas- 
tened the  door." 

"  It  is  the  first  time  I  ever  heard  of  a  prison  door  having 
bolts  on  the  inside." 

"  They  are  not  bolts,  as  you  will  see  directly." 

It  took  some  minutes  to  get  all  the  wedges  out.  Mac- 
gregor  then  entered  and  shook  Angus  warmly  by  the  hand, 
while  Azim  threw  himself  on  his  knees,  and  seizing  his 
master's  hand  kissed  it  again  and  again,  tears  of  joy  stream- 
ing down  his  cheeks. 

"Where  in  the  world  did  you  get  these  wedges?"  Mac- 
gregor  asked. 

"  I  cut  them  out  of  this  plank.  It  took  me  all  day 
yesterday  to  make  them  and  this  mallet.  How  the  plank 
came  here  I  don't  know,  but  it  certainly  saved  my  life." 

"  That  and  your  wits,  Campbell.  It  was  a  capital  idea, 
first-rate.  I  see  there  is  blood  on  the  staircase." 

"  The  plank  came  in  useful  again.  I  used  it  as  a  batter- 
ing-ram on  the  fellow  who  was  chopping,  and  as  I  caught 
him  full  in  the  face,  the  blood  is  accounted  for.  As  you  see 
by  the  opposite  wall,  they  fired  a  few  shots  through  the  hole 
afterwards,  but  of  course  I  took  good  care  to  be  out  of  the 
line  of  fire." 

"  Well,  come  along.  Sir  Alexander  has  been  asking  about 
you,  but  could  get  no  information,  and  it  might  have  been 
some  time  before  you  were  set  free  had  it  not  been  for  your 
boy." 

On  going  down  into  the  body  of  the  citadel,  Angus  was 
most  warmly  greeted  by  Sir  Alexander  Burnes  and  the  other 


162  TO  HERAT  AND  CABUL 

officers  who  knew  him,  for  all  supposed  that  he  had  been 
murdered.  He  explained  to.  his  chief  why  his  life  had  been 
spared. 

"  You  had  a  narrow  escape  indeed,"  the  latter  said,  "  for 
I  have  no  doubt  whatever  that  the  Afghan  would  have 
carried  out  his  threat  had  we  attacked  in  a  regular  way.  It 
is  quite  in  accordance  with  their  barbarous  customs.  But 
I  certainly  wonder  that  they  did  not  kill  you  when  we 
entered  the  fortress." 

Macgregor  then  told  the  manner  in  which  Angus  had 
converted  his  little  cell  into  a  fort,  and  had  resisted  suc- 
cessfully the  attacks  made  upon  it. 

"A  very  narrow  escape  indeed,  Mr.  Campbell,"  Sir  Alex- 
ander Burnes  said.  "  It  was  fortunate  indeed  that  that 
piece  of  wood  had  been  left  in  the  cell;  but  the  idea  of 
cutting  wedges  from  it  and  fastening  the  door  would  not 
have  occurred  to  everyone.  It  was  a  most  happy  thought, 
and  certainly  was  the  means  of  saving  your  life.  It  was  a 
treacherous  business  indeed  of  Hajee  Khan  Kakur,  for  I 
have  no  doubt  that  he  was  the  concocter  of  the  plot.  He 
has  given  us  the  strongest  grounds  for  suspicion  ever  since 
we  left  Candahar,  and  has  continually  been  making  excuses 
for  lagging  behind.  We  have  strong  reason  for  believing 
that  if  we  had  failed  here,  he  would  at  once  have  turned 
against  us." 

"  I  do  not  think  he  knew  of  this,  sir.  When  I  was  seized, 
the  trooper  said.  'Do  you  think  that  because  our  chief  is  a 
traitor  we  are  traitors  too?" 

"  These  fellows  are  very  crafty,  Mr.  Campbell,  and  Hajee 
has  a  special  reputation  that  way,  having  before  now  turned 
traitor  in  spite  of  promises  and  vows.  He  may  very  well 
have  instructed  one  of  his  men  to  say  this,  in  order  that  if, 
contrary  to  all  probability,  you  ever  rejoined  the  army,  he 


JUST  IN  TIME  153 

himself  might  be  shielded  by  your  repeating  this  speech. 
We  have  never  put  any  trust  in  him  since  he  joined  us, 
though  of  course  it  was  politic  to  seem  to  do  so,  as  other 
chiefs  might  follow  his  example.  He  was  questioned  very 
sharply  as  to  the  orders  he  had  given  his  men  when  you 
did  not  return  that  afternoon.  Of  course  he  swore  by  the 
Prophet  that  he  had  chosen  men  in  whom  he  had  the 
greatest  confidence,  which  was,  I  have  no  doubt,  true.  How- 
ever, as  it  was  possible  that  you  and  they  might  have  fallen 
into  an  ambush,  the  matter  was  dropped  for  the  time.  But 
our  suspicions  gained  ground  when,  as  we  came  up  here, 
no  signs  of  a  fight  were  discovered,  no  bodies  either  of  men 
or  horses,  and  I  intended  to  reopen  the  matter  as  soon  as 
things  were  a  little  settled  down.  Well,  I  can  assure  you  I 
am  heartily  glad  to  see  you  back  again  safe  and  sound,  and 
I  shall  not  fail  to  report  the  matter  to  Sir  John  Keane,  and 
tell  him  how  cleverly  you  escaped  the  fate  intended  for 
you." 

The  army  remained  for  a  week  at  Ghuznee  while  prepara- 
tions were  being  made  for  converting  the  fortress  into  a 
base  from  which  further  operations  could  be  carried  on.  It 
was  thought  well  to  pause,  so  that  the  full  effects  of  the 
disaster  might  be  felt  throughout  the  country  before  the  ad- 
vance began  again.  The  fall  of  Ghuznee  had  indeed  entirely 
disarranged  the  plan  of  campaign  that  had  been  decided 
upon  by  Dost  Mahomed.  The  fortress  had  been  provisioned 
for  six  months,  and  it  was  confidently  believed  that  it  could 
resist  all  attacks  for  that  time.  With  the  approach  of 
winter,  the  position  of  a  besieging  army  would  be  desperate. 
The  cold  would  be  intense,  they  would  be  surrounded  on  all 
sides  by  swarms  of  fierce  tribesmen,  would  be  unable  to 
obtain  provisions  in  the  country  round,  and  must  either 
retire  through  the  passes  they  had  ascended,  to  Candahar, 


154  TO  HERAT  AND  CABUL 

or  be  forced  by  famine  to  surrender.  In  the  former  case, 
the  disaster  that  afterwards  occurred  in  endeavouring  to 
retire  from  Cabul  would  probably  have  befallen  them. 

This  plan  was  entirely  brought  to  naught  by  the  fall  of 
Ghuznee,  and  six  days  later  the  brother  of  Dost  Mahomed 
arrived  in  camp  with  an  offer  from  the  Ameer  to  surrender 
the  government  to  Shah  Soojah,  on  condition  that  he  him- 
self should,  as  the  head  of  the  Barukzyes,  fill  the  hereditary 
office  of  wuzeer,  or  prime  minister.  As  this  would  have 
placed  the  whole  power  of  the  state  in  his  hands,  the  offer 
was  refused,  and  on  the  31st  of  July  the  army  resumed  its 
march.  After  three  days'  march,  they  learned  that  the  Kuz- 
zilbashes  had  mutinied.  This  body  of  troops  were  of  Persian 
descent,  and  had  for  very  many  years  formed  an  important 
part  of  the  military  power  of  Cabul,  and  held  a  position 
similar  to  that  of  the  Janizaries  of  Constantinople  and  the 
Mamelukes  of  Egypt.  Under  but  very  slight  control,  they 
were  constantly  causing  trouble  by  their  insolence  and  ex- 
actions, and  they  now  showed  that  they  entertained  no  feel- 
ing either  of  loyalty  or  gratitude  towards  the  dynasty  which 
they  served. 

In  spite  of  the  exhortations  of  the  Ameer,  they  insisted 
upon  his  granting  them  a  discharge  from  his  service,  and 
as  it  was  evident  that  the  news  from  Ghuznee  had  so  much 
dispirited  the  whole  army  that  no  reliance  whatever  could 
be  placed  on  their  fidelity,  the  unfortunate  monarch  was 
obliged  to  allow  the  Kuzzilbashes  to  disband,  and  the  rest 
of  the  army  to  disperse,  and  to  take  to  the  mountains  as 
a  fugitive,  accompanied  only  by  a  small  party  of  personal 
followers.  A  force  was  at  once  sent  in  pursuit  of  him;  but 
as  the  following  of  the  traitor,  Hajee  Khan,  formed  the 
principal  part  of  this  force,  the  double-faced  chief,  who 
desired  to  make  himself  safe  whatever  turn  affairs  might 
take,  so  contrived  that  Dost  Mahomed  and  his  party  were 


JUST  IN  TIME  155 

not  overtaken.  In  the  meantime  the  main  force  marched 
forward  to  Cabul  wholly  unopposed.  Twenty-two  guns  were 
found  abandoned  at  the  spot  where  the  Ameer's  army  had 
dispersed.  These,  placed  in  a  strong  defile,  and  supported 
by  a  large  force  of  tribesmen,  might  have  long  resisted  our 
advance  had  the  Kuzzilbashes  and  other  Afghan  horsemen 
swept  round  on  our  rear,  and  although  British  valour  might 
have  finally  succeeded,  it  could  only  have  been  after  a  terrible 
struggle.  But  now  the  Ameer  was  a  fugitive,  the  guns  were 
in  our  hands,  the  Kuzzilbashes  and  native  tribesmen  had 
come  in  to  salute  their  new  ruler,  and  nothing  remained  but 
to  enter  the  capital  in  triumph. 

The  entry  took  place  on  the  7th  of  August.  The  cere- 
mony was  an  imposing  one.  Shah  Soojah,  after  an  exile 
of  thirty  years,  rode  at  the  head  of  the  cortege,  on  a  white 
charger  with  golden  trappings.  He  wore  a  jewelled  coronet, 
his  arms  and  garments  were  ornamented  with  precious  stones, 
and  his  waist  encircled  with  a  broad  girdle  of  gold  en- 
crusted with  rubies  and  emeralds.  Accompanying  him  were 
the  commander-in-chief,  and  Mr.  Macnaghten  and  Sir  Alex- 
ander Burnes,  who  were  in  full  diplomatic  dress.  Two  of 
the  Shah's  sons  and  a  few  of  the  principal  chiefs  rode  be- 
hind him  with  a  number  of  staff  officers  in  full  uniform. 
Following  him  came  the  army  that  had  performed  so  long 
and  difficult  a  march  to  place  him  on  his  throne.  The  sur- 
rounding country  traversed  was  rich  and  fertile  in  the  ex- 
treme, and  almost  covered  with  orchards  of  peaches  and 
other  fruits;  under  these  crops  of  all  sorts  grew  luxuriantly. 
On  the  eminences  commanding  the  plain  immense  numbers 
of  tribesmen  assembled  to  witness  the  martial  display. 

On  entering  the  city,  the  victors  found  the  inhabitants 
clustered  in  the  streets  through  which  they  passed  to  the 
royal  residence  in  the  Bala  Hissar,  a  great  citadel  situated 
on  a  hill  commanding  the  town,  and  so  strongly  fortified  that 


156  TO  HERAT  AND  CABUL 

it  would  have  been  difficult  to  capture  it  unless  by  the 
aid  of  a  regular  siege  train.  The  aspect  of  the  inhabitants 
was  perfectly  peaceful;  there  were  no  shouts  or  exclama- 
tions of  enthusiasm,  but  it  was  evident  from  the  expression 
of  satisfaction  on  their  faces  that  the  majority  were  well 
satisfied  with  the  termination  of  the  rule  of  the  Barukzyes, 
whose  exactions  had  pressed  heavily  upon  them. 

Dost  Mahomed  himself  was  popular.  He  was  affable  and 
kindly  in  disposition;  his  decisions  on  all  matters  brought 
before  him  were  just  and  fair;  he  was  accessible  to  all 
having  complaints  to  bring  before  him;  and  had  he  possessed 
a  body  of  trustworthy  infantry  to  overawe  the  marauding 
Kuzzilbashes  and  the  semi-independent  chiefs,  there  can  be 
no  doubt  that  his  rule  would  have  been  a  wise  and  beneficial 
one.  Shah  Soojah  was  the  reverse  of  his  rival.  Haughty 
and  arrogant,  he  regarded  and  treated  with  contempt  his 
new  subjects,  seldom  granted  audience,  or  troubled  himself 
in  any  way  with  their  affairs,  rarely  went  abroad,  and  re- 
mained in  almost  constant  seclusion  in  his  palace. 

The  shops  of  Cabul  excited  the  admiration  of  the  officers 
and  men  of  the  British  force.  Probably  nowhere  else  in 
the  world  could  such  a  display  of  fruit  have  been  collected. 
Here  were  piles  of  peaches  equal  to  the  finest  product  of 
English  hothouses,  grapes  of  five  varieties,  rosy  apples, 
juicy  pears,  several  delicious  kinds  of  melons,  almonds, 
pistachio  nuts,  walnuts,  quinces,  cherries,  and  red  and  white 
mulberries,  and  vegetables  of  all  kinds.  The  butchers'  shops 
were  cleanly  and  well  arranged;  there  were  public  ovens, 
in  which  loaves,  and  the  cakes  of  which  the  Afghans  are 
extremely  fond,  were  baking  when  the  force  entered.  In 
the  potters'  shops  were  jars  and  drinking  vessels  of  all 
kinds;  Afghan,  Persian,  and  Russian  cloths,  cloaks,  furs  of 
many  kinds,  sets  of  china  and  Dresden  porcelain  in  the 
shops  of  the  wealthier  traders;  and  behind  these  open  shops 


JUST  IN  TIME  157 

were  inner  apartments  with  very  fine  and  costly  shawls, 
silks,  precious  stones,  valuable  carpets,  and  tea  imported 
by  way  of  Bokhara.  Conspicuous  were  the  shops  of  manu- 
facturers of  swords  and  daggers,  and  makers  of  scabbards 
and  belts,  shields  and  chain  armour,  and  even  of  book- 
binders, who  manufactured  covers  for  manuscript  copies  of 
Persian  poems  and  stories.  Unfortunately  for  the  moral  of 
the  army,  there  were  also  manufactories  of  spirits.  Since 
leaving  Candahar  no  spirit  rations  had  been  served  out,  and 
the  troops  had  greatly  benefited  in  health  during  their  ardu- 
ous work  by  the  privation,  but  the  power  to  purchase  vile 
spirits  at  a  very  low  price  now  tempted  many  into  drinking 
to  intoxication,  and  lowered  at  once  their  health  and  dis- 
cipline. 

Mr.  Macnaghten  and  his  staff  had  a  fine  building  in  the 
Bala  Hissar  allotted  to  them.  Sir  Alexander  Burnes  with 
his  assistants  occupied  a  house  in  the  city.  The  position  of 
Burnes  was  an  unsatisfactory  one.  He  had  a  right  to 
expect  that  after  his  previous  residence  in  Cabul  he  would 
be  appointed  British  resident  there,  and  he  had  only  ac- 
cepted a  secondary  position  upon  the  understanding  that 
Macnaghten's  appointment  was  a  temporary  one.  He  had 
on  the  way  up  rendered  much  valuable  assistance,  but  he 
had  no  strictly  defined  duties.  His  opinion  was  seldom 
asked,  and  if  given,  was  wholly  disregarded.  For  this  he 
was  himself  somewhat  to  blame.  His  temperament  was  a 
changeable  one.  At  times  he  was  full  of  enthusiasm  and 
saw  everything  in  the  rosiest  light;  at  other  times  he  was 
depressed  and  despondent,  and  came  to  be  regarded  as  a 
prophet  of  evil.  Having  no  serious  work  to  occupy  his  mind, 
he  worried  over  trifles,  exaggerated  the  importance  of  the 
bazaar  rumours,  and  was  often  filled  with  the  gloomiest 
anticipations. 

The  war  had  been  undertaken  altogether  in  opposition  to 


158  TO  HERAT  AND  CABUL 

his  advice.  He  had  been  most  favourably  impressed  with 
Dost  Mahomed,  and  his  remonstrances  against  the  attempt 
to  force  Shah  Soojah  on  the  Afghans  had  been  so  strong  and 
persistent,  that  the  home  government,  in  defending  them- 
selves from  the  public  indignation  excited  by  subsequent 
disaster,  even  went  the  length  of  suppressing  some  of  his 
despatches  and  garbling  others,  after  he  was  no  longer  alive 
to  proclaim  the  falsification. 

Once  at  Cabul,  his  opportunities  for  doing  useful  service 
came  to  an  end.  Macnaghten,  who  was  always  sanguine  to 
an  extent  that,  in  the  light  of  subsequent  events,  seemed 
to  border  on  insanity,  was  all-powerful  with  the  new  Ameer. 
The  expression  of  any  opinion  which  ran  counter  to  his  own 
was  in  the  highest  degree  distasteful  to  him,  and  it  was 
only  in  negotiations  for  the  supply  of  the  troops,  and  with 
the  petty  chiefs,  that  Burnes  and  his  staff  found  any  em- 
ployment. 

Although  Pushtoo  was  the  language  of  the  country-people 
who  came  in  with  goods,  the  inhabitants  of  Cabul  almost 
universally  spoke  Persian,  and  Angus  Campbell  and  Azim 
found  themselves  quite  at  home  among  them. 

On  the  3rd  of  September,  a  force  under  Colonel  Wade, 
which  had  advanced  through  the  Khyber  Pass,  arrived  at 
Cabul.  It  was  a  mixed  body  composed  principally  of 
Pathans  and  Sikhs.  It  had  met  with  comparatively  small 
resistance,  but  had  rendered  valuable  service,  as  a  large  force 
had  been  detached  from  Dost  Mahomed's  army  to  oppose 
its  advance,  and  thus  greatly  weakened  the  army  with  which 
the  Ameer  had  intended  to  meet  the  British  advance  from 
Candahar.  The  Afghan  force  had  been  recalled  in  haste 
after  the  news  of  the  fall  of  Ghuznee,  but  had  not  arrived 
until  after  the  disbandment  of  the  Ameer's  army  and  his 
flight  to  the  Bamian  Pass,  when  it  had  also  broken  up,  and 
Wade  was  therefore  able  to  reach  Cabul  without  opposition. 


JUST  IN  TIME  159 

It  was  now  necessary  to  decide  what  should  be  done  with 
the  army  of  occupation.  Macnaghten  was  pressing  by  a 
constant  succession  of  letters  that  large  reinforcements 
should  be  sent  up  in  order  to  win  back  for  Shah  Soojah  the 
territories  that  had  once  formed  part  of  the  Afghan  empire. 
He  urged  that  in  order  to  check  Russian  aggression  an  army 
should  not  only  occupy  Herat,  but  should  extend  its  opera- 
tions until  it  became  paramount  at  Bokhara;  while,  on  the 
other  hand,  Peshawur  and  the  territory  wrested  from  Afghan- 
istan by  the  Sikhs  should  be  reconquered,  and  the  Sikh 
nation,  which  was  becoming  more  and  more  hostile  to  us, 
should  be  brought  into  subjection.  But  fortunately  Lord 
Auckland,  now  freed  from  the  pernicious  influence  of  Mac- 
naghten and  surrounded  by  discreet  counsellors,  was  by  no 
means  disposed  to  turn  a  favourable  ear  to  these  fantastic 
projects.  The  cost  of  the  army  of  occupation  was  a  heavy 
drain  on  the  revenue  of  India,  and  so  far  from  any  assist- 
ance being  rendered  by  Afghanistan,  Shah  Soojah  was  con- 
stantly clamouring  for  subsidies  to  enable  him  to  maintain 
his  position.  The  absence  of  so  many  troops  was  also  much 
felt  in  India,  for  they  were  greatly  needed  on  the  frontiers 
of  the  Beloochees  as  well  as  those  of  the  Sikhs.  Macnaghten 
had  so  persistently  asserted  that  Shah  Soojah  was  personally 
popular  with  the  Afghans,  that  it  was  decided  that  only  a 
comparatively  small  force  was  needed  to  uphold  his  author- 
ity in  case  Dost  Mahomed  should  make  an  effort  to  recover 
his  throne,  and  orders  were  given  that  the  greater  portion 
of  the  Bombay  army  should  march  down  through  the  Kojuk 
and  Bolan  Passes,  and  most  of  the  Bengal  troops  through 
the  Khyber,  leaving  some  six  regiments,  with  a  proportion 
of  artillery,  at  Cabul,  with  garrisons  at  Ghuznee,  Candahar, 
Quettah,  and  Jellalabad. 

Macnaghten  in  vain  remonstrated  and  entreated.  It  was 
settled  that  the  movement  should  begin  at  the  end  of  Sep- 


160  TO  HERAT  AND  OABUL 

tember,  so  that  the  troops  could  regain  the  plains  before 
winter  set  in  in  earnest.  September  passed  quietly.  The 
climate  at  this  time  was  perfect,  and  the  troops  enjoyed  the 
rest,  with  the  abundance  of  fruit  and  vegetables.  There 
were  reviews  and  races.  Shah  Soojah  established  an  order 
of  knighthood,  and  held  a  grand  durbar,  at  which  the  princi- 
pal officers  were  invested,  with  great  ceremony,  with  the 
insignia  of  the  new  order.  On  the  18th  of  the  month  the 
Bombay  column  started  on  its  march,  but  news  having  been 
brought  down  from  the  force  that  had  occupied  the  Bamian 
Pass,  that  Dost  Mahomed  was  collecting  a  formidable  army, 
the  authorities  were  induced  to  maintain  a  great  portion 
of  the  Bengal  force  round  Cabul.  Great  difficulties  arose 
with  reference  to  provisioning  these  troops  through  the 
winter.  There  was  abundant  accommodation  for  them  in  the 
Bala  Hissar  and  its  citadel,  but  Shah  Soojah  strongly  ob- 
jected to  the  presence  of  a  large  body  of  troops  there.  Mac- 
naghten,  with  his  usual  weakness,  gave  way. 

On  the  15th  of  October  Sir  John  Keane,  with  that  portion 
of  the  Bengal  force  that  was  to  return,  set  out.  The  Ameer 
left  two  days  later,  to  spend  the  winter  in  the  more  genial 
climate  of  Jellalabad,  and  Macnaghten  accompanied  him. 
Sanguine  as  he  was,  he  could  not  help  feeling  uneasy  at 
the  situation.  The  British  occupation  had  greatly  benefited 
the  merchants  and  traders,  the  farmers  and  cultivators  of 
Cabul,  but  it  had  seriously  injured  the  poorer  portion  of 
the  community.  The  natural  result  of  so  large  an  army,  well 
supplied  with  money,  being  stationed  in  the  city,  was  to 
raise  the  price  of  all  articles  of  consumption  prodigiously, 
and  to  cause  wide-spread  discontent.  The  exactions  of  the 
native  tax-collectors  pressed  heavily  upon  all  the  tribesmen. 
The  British  officers,  by  the  terms  of  the  treaty  with  Shah 
Soojah,  were  unable  to  interefere  in  any  way  with  the  in- 
ternal affairs  of  the  country;  but  when  the  natives  revolted 


A  MISSION  161 

against  the  unjust  exactions  it  was  they  who  were  called 
upon  to  suppress  them,  consequently  the  infidel  supporters 
of  the  Ameer  became  more  and  more  hated  by  the  people, 
and  it  was  soon  dangerous  for  them  to  go  beyond  the  limits 
of  their  camps.  The  Ameer  himself  resented  the  state  of 
subjection  in  which  he  considered  that  he  was  held,  though 
he  could  not  dispense  with  British  bayonets  and  British 
money.  Macnaghten  left  behind  him  experienced  adminis- 
trators. Burnes,  Conolly,  Leech,  Todd,  and  Lord  had  all 
long  acquaintance  with  the  country,  and  if  anyone  could, 
under  such  circumstances,  have  reconciled  the  country  to 
foreign  occupation,  they  would  have  done  so. 


CHAPTEK  X 

A  MISSION 

£iT  WISH  that  we  had  trustworthy  news  of  what  Dost 
-i-  Mahomed  is  doing,"  Sir  Alexander  Burnes  said  one 
morning  when  he  and  his  assistants  were  talking  over  the 
work  for  the  day.  "  Of  course  one  hears  from  the  Hindoo 
merchants  what  rumours  are  circulating,  but  these  are  so 
contradictory  that  they  are  not  to  be  relied  upon.  One 
day  it  is  said  that  Dost  has  retired  to  Bokhara,  another 
that  he  has  already  gathered  a  formidable  force.  It  is 
certain  that  if  he  does  not  recross  the  Bamian  soon  he  will 
not  give  us  any  trouble  till  the  spring,  for  I  doubt  whether 
even  the  Afghans,  hardy  as  they  are,  could  traverse  the 
passes  when  winter  has  fairly  set  in.  Still,  it  would  be 
very  useful  to  us  to  obtain  some  sort  of  inkling  as  to  what 
his  movements  and  intentions  are.  He  may  intend  to  make 
a  bold  stroke  to  recover  his  kingdom,  he  may  wait  until 

(M807)  L 


162  TO  HERAT  AND  CABUL 

there  is  a  popular  rising  here.  In  the  first  case,  our  force 
here  must  be  maintained  at  the  present  strength,  and  it 
would  be  well  to  warn  Lord  Auckland  as  soon  as  possible 
that  next  spring  its  strength  must  be  increased  rather  than 
diminished.  If,  on  the  other  hand,  Dost  depends  upon  a 
rising  here  rather  than  upon  any  force  he  may  himself 
gather,  there  will  be  no  occasion  for  more  troops  than  we 
have,  for  these  should  suffice  to  crush  any  tribal  rising." 

"  I  should  be  happy  to  undertake  the  mission  if  you 
would  confide  it  to  me,  sir,"  Angus  said.  "  I  travelled  as 
a  Persian  without  exciting  suspicion,  and  I  can  do  the  same 
again.  I  might  obtain  a  couple  of  horse-loads  of  Indian 
silk  and  cashmere  goods,  and  travel  as  a  Persian  trader  who 
has  been  settled  here,  but  who,  fearing  that  fresh  dis- 
turbances might  occur,  had  decided  to  make  a  trip  himself 
to  Bokhara  with  a  view  of  establishing  himself  there.  I 
see  all  trade  is  at  present  at  a  stand-still,  as  the  northern 
traders  dare  not  venture  down  here.  The  fact  that  I  can 
also  speak  Pushtoo  will,  of  course,  be  an  advantage,  and 
would  seem  to  show  that  I  had,  as  I  gave  out,  resided  here 
for  some  time." 

"It  would  be  a  dangerous  enterprise,  Mr.  Campbell." 

"  There  would  be  a  certain  amount  of  danger  in  it,  sir, 
but  not,  it  seems  to  me,  excessive — not  more  than  I  met  in 
my  journey  from  Herat.  There  is  danger,  as  you  have 
frequently  said,  even  here;  and  at  any  rate,  I  am  ready  to 
take  all  risks  if  you  think  that  the  mission  would  be  of 
utility." 

"  That  it  would  certainly  be,  and  I  admit  that  no  one 
would  be  more  likely  to  carry  it  to  a  successful  conclusion, 
but  I  fear  that  it  would  be  impossible  for  you  to  return 
before  the  spring." 

"I  do  not  think  that  I  could  return  across  the  moun- 
tains, but  I  might  dispose  of  my  goods  to  the  Turkomans. 


A  MISSION  163 

From  what  we  hear,  Dost  Mahomed  is  either  at  Balkh  or 
Kunduz,  or  possibly  Tashkurgan,  half-way  between  them. 
Balkh  would,  of  course,  be  more  convenient,  for  it  is  but 
a  couple  of  days'  journey  to  Kilif,  on  the  other  side  of  the 
Oxus.  There  I  might  dispose  of  my  goods,  and  buy  carpets 
and  shawls  of  Bokhara;  and  then  travel  across  the  plains 
to  Herat;  thence,  by  the  trade  route,  to  Candahar;  and  so 
back  through  Ghuznee.  That  would,  of  course,  be  a  long 
journey,  but  there  would  be  no  very  lofty  passes  to  traverse. 
I  need  hardly  say  that  I  should  not  enter  Herat,  as  I  might 
be  recognized  there;  but  there  would  be  no  fear  of  recogni- 
tion elsewhere.  As  my  servant  is  really  a  Persian,  and 
has  also  picked  up  Pushtoo,  he  would  greatly  aid  me  in 
preserving  my  disguise.  At  any  rate,  I  would  rather  be 
doing  something  than  remaining  here  idle  through  the 
winter." 

"  Then  I  accept  your  offer,  Mr.  Campbell.  The  informa- 
tion you  would  give  as  to  the  feeling  of  the  people  on  the 
other  side  of  the  mountains  would  be  invaluable.  I  will 
myself  question  one  or  two  of  the  Hindoo  merchants  as  to 
the  goods  that  are  generally  sent  to  Bokhara.  I  know,  of 
course,  that  the  bulk  of  that  trade  with  India  is  carried  on 
through  Candahar  and  Herat,  but  it  would  be  natural  that 
a  trader  residing  here  and  wishing  to  leave  should  prefer 
the  direct  route,  however  toilsome  it  might  be.  I  should 
say  easy  loads  for  three  animals  would  be  sufficient,  and  as 
the  merchandise  would  be  of  light  materials,  a  considerable 
value  could  be  carried  by  three  horses.  You  will  need  a 
fourth  for  a  small  stock  of  provisions,  for  you  will  have  to 
depend  on  yourselves  until  you  are  on  the  other  side  of  the 
passes.  You  will  require  two  men  to  look  after  the  four 
horses.  I  will  obtain  two  soldiers  from  one  of  the  Pathan 
regiments.  It  would  be  dangerous  for  you  to  hire  a  man 
in  the  city;  I  will  get  a  couple  of  men  of  approved  fidelity. 


164  TO  HERAT  AND  CABUL 

They  will,  of  course,  be  in  native  dres3,  and  will  pass  as 
peasants  hired  for  the  journey  by  you.  Four  of  you,  well 
armed,  should  be  able  to  give  a  good  account  of  yourselves 
if  you  should  fall  in  with  any  small  party  of  freebooters, 
though  that  is  more  likely  to  happen  on  your  return  journey 
than  on  your  way  across  the  hills." 

"  Thank  you,  sir." 

"Well,  to-day  is  Monday;  it  will  take  two  or  three  days 
to  make  all  the  preparations  and  get  the  sort  of  men  you 
require.  Would  you  be  ready  to  start  on  Thursday  ? " 

"  Certainly,  sir.  As  far  as  I  and  my  man  are  concerned, 
we  should  be  ready  to  start  at  a  moment's  notice,  as  there 
will  be  no  difficulty  in  buying  the  clothes  we  require." 

"  Very  well,  then,  it  shall  be  settled  for  Thursday.  I 
know  I  need  not  tell  you  to  warn  your  servant  to  maintain 
absolute  secrecy  as  to  the  fact  that  you  are  leaving  the 
town." 

Azim  was  greatly  pleased  when  Angus  told  him  of  the 
intended  expedition,  for,  having  few  duties  to  perform,  he 
had  found  the  time  hang  heavily  on  his  hands,  and  was 
glad  to  hear  that  he  was  not  to  spend  the  long  winter  at 
Cabul.  He  purchased  in  the  bazaars  all  the  garments  for 
his  master  and  himself — high  boots  lined  with  fur,  and 
cloaks  of  thick  cloth  similarly  lined,  and  Afghan  hats  of 
black  lamb's  wool. 

On  Wednesday  evening  Sir  Alexander  Burnes  said  to 
Angus:  "It  is  just  as  well  that  you  did  not  make  your 
start  this  morning,  for  there  has  been  a  sharp  skirmish  on 
the  road  ten  miles  off  between  a  squadron  of  our  cavalry 
and  a  party  of  Afghan  horse.  I  hear  the  fellows  fought 
well,  but  were  driven  off  with  considerable  loss.  I  have 
seen  the  two  men  who  have  been  selected  to  accompany  you, 
they  have  both  been  some  time  in  our  service.  Their  colonel 
spoke  highly  to  me  of  them.  I  explained  to  them  the  nature 


THERE,    LYING  CLOSE    UNDER  A  ROCK,    WAS  A 
YOUNG  AFGHAN. 


A  MISSION  165 

of  the  duty  on  which  they  were  going,  and  gave  them  the 
option  of  declining  it,  but  said  that  if  they  carried  it  through 
successfully  they  would  on  their  return  receive  a  present 
of  six  months'  pay  and  would  at  once  be  promoted.  They 
accepted  without  hesitation,  and  I  feel  certain  that  you  can 
rely  upon  them.  They  were  recruited  from  the  border  tribes, 
which  have  ever  held  themselves  independent  of  the  Afghan 
factions,  and  have  no  sympathy  whatever  either  with  the  Kuz- 
zilbashes  or  Soojah  himself,  and  care  not  a  snap  who  rules 
over  Afghanistan.  If  questioned,  their  story  will  be  that 
they  came  up  as  camp  followers  with  Colonel  Wade's  force, 
and  that  on  arriving  at  Cabul  their  work  with  the  army 
was  at  an  end,  and  they  took  service  with  the  Persian  trader. 
All  the  goods  and  packs  have  been  marked  in  Persian  char- 
acters, with  the  prices  they  would  fetch  in  Persia,  and  those 
at  which  they  would  probably  sell  at  Bokhara;  so  that  you 
will  know  how  to  carry  on  your  trading  without  exciting 
suspicion  either  by  asking  too  little  or  by  demanding  an 
unusual  price.  Each  man  will  lead  two  horses,  and  I  have 
provided  rough  ponies  for  them  to  ride.  I  think  you  will 
find  that  no  detail  has  been  neglected.  I  have  had  a  thou- 
sand rupees  sewn  up  in  the  saddle  of  your  horse.  I  sent 
for  one  of  the  cavalry  saddlers,  and  your  man  showed  him 
which  was  your  saddle.  Another  five  hundred  are  sewn  in 
the  saddle  of  your  servant  in  case  of  mishap.  Here  is  a 
letter  to  Lieutenant  Mackenzie,  who  commands  the  troop 
of  horse  artillery  which  is  at  Bamian  with  the  Ameer's 
Ghoorka  regiment.  You  may  be  questioned  there,  so  with- 
out giving  him  any  details  I  have  simply  requested  him  to 
allow  the  bearer  and  his  party  to  pass  on  without  question 
or  interference." 

The  start  was  not  made  from  the  house  of  Sir  Alexander 
Burnes,  but  from  that  of  the  Hindoo  merchant  from  whom 
goods  had  been  purchased.  As  there  was  nothing  unusual  in 


166  TO  HERAT  AND  CABUL 

a  trader  starting  with  some  horse-loads  of  merchandise, 
no  attention  was  attracted,  and  the  party  crossed  the  plain 
four  miles  farther  up,  and  skirted  the  foot  of  the  mountains 
until  they  reached  the  gorge  through  which  the  track — for 
it  could  not  be  called  a  road — led  over  the  mountains  to 
Bamian.  They  had  decided  to  camp  here,  but  they  found 
that  it  was  the  scene  of  the  previous  day's  combat.  Dead 
horses  and  men  were  scattered  about,  and  it  was  evident 
that  the  Afghans  had  been  lying  in  ambush  here,  aware 
that  at  times  parties  of  our  cavalry  rode  some  distance  up 
the  pass.  They  determined  to  go  half  a  mile  farther  up 
the  gorge,  as  there  was  no  danger  of  disturbance  by  the 
Afghans,  who,  after  their  defeat  on  the  previous  day,  were 
not  likely  to  be  in  the  neighbourhood. 

After  proceeding  a  quarter  of  a  mile  Angus,  who  was 
riding  ahead,  suddenly  stopped  his  horse,  hearing  a  deep 
groan.  As  the  ground  was  strewn  with  rocks  on  either  side 
of  the  track,  he  concluded  at  once  that  some  poor  fellow 
had  crawled  away  to  die,  unnoticed  by  our  cavalry  return- 
ing from  pursuit.  Knowing  what  tortures  he  must  be  suffer- 
ing from  thirst  he  dismounted,  and  filling  a  pannikin  from 
one  of  the  skins,  he  bade  Azim  bring  some  fruit,  and  then 
made  his  way  to  the  spot  from  which  the  sound  proceeded. 
There,  lying  close  under  a  rock,  was  a  young  Afghan,  whose 
clothes  showed  that  he  was  a  chief  of  some  rank.  His  eyes 
were  closed,  his  face  pallid  and  drawn,  his  lips  black  and 
cracked  with  thirst.  Angus  knelt  beside  him,  and  poured 
a  few  drops  of  water  between  his  lips.  This  he  repeated 
again  and  again. 

The  wounded  man  opened  his  eyes  with  a  deep  exclamation 
of  thankfulness.  Then  his  face  darkened,  and  he  said: 
"You  meant  kindly,  good  friend,  but  you  have  done  me  a 
cruel  service.  The  worst  had  passed;  I  had  sunk  into  un- 


A  MISSION  167 

consciousness,  and  should  have  passed  into  Paradise  with- 
out more  pain." 

"  Where  are  you  wounded  ? "  Angus  asked.  "  Perhaps  we 
can  do  something  for  you." 

The  Afghan  slightly  shook  his  head.  "Nothing  can  be 
done  for  me,"  he  said.  "  I  have  a  musket-ball  in  my  shoulder, 
and  my  right  leg  is  broken  above  the  knee." 

"At  any  rate  we  can  make  you  comfortable.  We  were 
going  to  camp  a  short  way  ahead,  but  we  will  now  do  so 
here." 

"  May  Allah  bless  you,  but  it  would  be  better  to  leave  me 
to  die  at  once." 

"That  I  cannot  do.  Now,  have  a  good  drink  of  water, 
and  then  I  will  cut  a  melon  into  pieces  for  you  to  suck 
while  we  are  preparing  our  camp." 

The  horses'  loads  were  removed  and  the  animals  turned 
loose  to  graze  on  the  grass  growing  among  the  rocks.  Then 
the  tent  was  erected  and  the  Afghan  carried  into  the  shade 
of  a  high  rock  close  by.  By  this  time  he  was  able  to  speak 
more  strongly,  and  said :  "  You  are  Persian,  I  see,  by  your 
dress.  How  comes  it  that  you  have  entered  this  lonely 
gorge  with  your  pack-horses  and  your  goods  ? " 

"  We  are  going  to  make  our  road  to  Bokhara.  There  are 
rumours  of  disaffection  in  Cabul,  and  if  there  is  fighting 
the  houses  of  the  traders  will  be  looted.  Therefore  I  re- 
solved to  leave  while  I  could,  and  am  taking  my  Indian 
goods  for  sale  there." 

"It  will  be  a  terrible  journey,"  the  young  chief  said. 
"  There  is  already  snow  in  the  upper  passes.  I  wish  you 
success.  I  shall  think  of  your  kindness  as  I  lie  here,  and 
pray  Allah  to  protect  you.  Before  you  go  I  pray  you  to 
carry  me  down  to  the  edge  of  this  stream,  so  that  I  may 
drink  when  I  wilL" 


168  TO  HERAT  AND  CABUL 

"We  will  certainly  do  that,  and  give  you  a  supply  of 
fruit  if  we  can  do  no  better.  Now  we  must  look  and  see 
to  your  wounds.  I  can  at  least  bandage  them,  and  make 
you  somewhat  easier." 

To  his  surprise  Angus  found  no  wounds  in  the  leg.  "  I 
see  no  bullet  mark,"  he  said. 

"  No,  the  leg  was  broken  in  my  fall.  My  men  had 
fought  well,  but  the  Feringees  were  too  strong  for  them, 
and  we  fled.  I  was  riding  in  their  rear,  when  a  shot  struck 
me  in  the  shoulder.  I  fell  from  my  horse,  and  when  I 
found  that  my  leg  was  broken  I  felt  my  end  was  at  hand; 
but  I  heard  no  more  shots  nor  any  further  sound  of  galloping 
horses,  and  I  knew  that  by  Allah's  mercy  they  had  ceased 
their  pursuit.  My  horse  had  g'alloped  on  after  the  others, 
and  my  men  might  not  notice  that  I  had  fallen  until  they 
had  gone  some  distance,  when  they  would  probably  conclude 
that  I  had  been  killed.  I  managed  to  crawl  out  of  the  road 
to  the  shelter  of  that  rock  where  you  found  me,  as  the 
infidels  might  come  up  in  the  morning,  and  I  would  rather 
die  quietly  there  than  be  shot  down." 

"  They  would  not  have  injured  you,"  Angus  said.  "  They 
kill  many  in  battle,  but  it  is  a  rule  with  them  never  to 
touch  an  injured  man;  and  had  they  come  along  they  would 
have  taken  you  back  to  their  camp  and  have  done  all  they 
could  for  you." 

"  I  have  heard  that  they  were  strange  in  that  respect ; 
but  I  did  not  think  of  it — my  only  wish  was  to  die  quietly 
and  alone.  I  tried  several  times  to  crawl  to  the  stream, 
but  the  agony  was  so  great  that  I  could  not  do  it." 

Angus  while  he  was  speaking  was  feeling  the  limb.  "  The 
first  thing  to  do,"  he  said,  "  is  to  bring  the  ends  of  the  bone 
together;  the  operation  will  be  painful,  but  it  will  greatly 
relieve  your  sufferings." 


A  MISSION  169 

"  Do  as  you  will,  stranger ;  Allah  has  sent  you  to  my  side, 
and  what  you  do  must  be  right." 

"  In  the  first  place,  I  must  prepare  some  splints  to  keep  it 
in  its  place." 

Leaving  the  Afghan,  Angus  searched  among  the  bushes 
until  he  found  a  shrub  which  was  thick  enough  for  the  pur- 
pose. He  and  Azim  with  their  knives  cut  this  down  near  the 
root,  and  then  divided  it  into  lengths,  split  each  of  these 
and  smoothed  the  pieces  until  they  were  perfectly  even. 
He  then  tore  off  several  long  strips  of  cloth  to  form  bandages, 
and  calling  to  the  two  men,  he  returned  to  the  wounded 
Afghan.  The  patient  was  lifted  into  another  position,  where 
he  could  place  his  left  foot  against  a  rock. 

l<  Now,  chief,"  Angus  said,  "  you  must  with  that  leg  pre- 
vent yourself  from  being  pulled  forward;  my  servant  will 
hold  you  round  the  body,  so  as  to  aid  you;  the  other  two 
men  will  take  hold  of  your  right  leg  and  pull  it,  while  as 
soon  as  it  is  sufficiently  stretched  I  shall  press  the  broken 
ends  into  their  position.  I  am  afraid  that  the  pain  will  be 
very  severe,  but  you  will  be  much  easier  afterwards.  At 
present  the  ends  of  the  bones  are  tearing  your  flesh." 

"An  Afghan  can  bear  pain,"  the  chief  said  quietly;  "do 
as  you  will." 

"Now,"  Angus  said  to  the  soldiers,  "take  a  firm  hold 
above  the  ankle,  and  draw  as  steadily  and  quietly  as  you 
can,  but  with  all  your  strength." 

The  resistance  of  the  muscles  was  so  great  that  it  was 
only  by  exercising  their  utmost  power  that  the  men  got 
them  to  yield.  At  last  Angus  felt  the  end  of  the  bone  on 
which  he  was  pressing  suddenly  slip  into  its  place.  Then 
for  the  first  time  he  looked  round.  No  sound  had  escaped 
the  Afghan's  lips,  but  the  agony  had  been  so  intense  that  he 
had  fainted. 


170  TO  HERAT  AND  CABUL 

"  Now,  give  me  a  long  bandage,  Azim ;  you  need  not  hold 
him  any  longer.  Double  up  a  cloak  or  something  and  lift 
him  and  put  it  under  him,  so  that  I  can  pass  the  bandage 
round  and  round." 

First  a  wad  of  thick  material  soaked  in  water  was  placed 
round  the  leg  at  the  point  qf  the  fracture,  and  then  band- 
age was  added  to  bandage,  until  the  limb  down  to  the  knee 
was  surrounded  by  a  casing  half  an  inch  thick;  then  the 
splints  were  applied,  some  reaching  only  down  to  the  knee, 
others  to  the  ankle.  These  were  held  in  their  place  by  the 
three  assistants,  while  Angus  again  firmly  bandaged  them. 
The  operation  being  completed,  he  dashed  some  water  on  the 
Afghan's  face.  The  latter  soon  opened  his  eyes. 

"  It  is  all  over,  chief ;  the  bones  are  in  their  place  again,  and 
if  all  goes  well,  in  time  the  ends  may  knit  firmly  together." 

"  It  is  easier  already,"  the  chief  said  gratefully.  "  I  no 
longer  feel  as  if  an  evil  spirit  from  Eblis  were  torturing  me 
with  a  hot  iron." 

"  I  will  now  see  to  your  shoulder.  The  wound  has  ceased 
bleeding;  therefore  I  shall  but  sponge  it  with  cold  water  and 
put  a  bandage  on  in  case  it  should  break  out  afresh." 

This  was  soon  done.  Some  cloths  soaked  in  water  were 
laid  over  the  bandage,  then  some  more  fruit  was  given  to 
the  wounded  man,  and  he  was  left  in  the  shade,  and  the  men 
set  about  cooking  a  meal.  Angus  from  time  to  time  went 
across  to  see  him,  and  had  the  satisfaction  in  the  evening  of 
finding  that  he  had  fallen  asleep. 

"  Now,  Azim,"  he  said  when  he  returned,  "  the  next  thing 
to  do  is  to  settle  what  is  to  be  done  with  him." 

"I  have  been  wondering  that  ever  since  we  found  him, 
master." 

"  There  is  a  choice  of  two  things :  one  is  that  I  mount 
my  horse,  ride  back  to  Cabul,  report  having  found  a  wounded 
man,  and  ask  that  a  party  with  a  stretcher  may  be  sent 


A  MISSION  171 

out  to  fetch  him  in  early  in  the  morning;  the  other  is  to 
take  him  on  with  us." 

Azim  looked  in  surprise.  "That  would  be  very  difficult, 
master." 

"No  doubt  it  would  be  difficult,  but  I  think  it  might  be 
done.  There  is  no  doubt  that  from  his  dress  and  appear- 
ance, and  from  the  fact  that  he  speaks  excellent  Persian, 
he  is  a  chief  of  considerable  standing.  In  that  case  his 
friendship  might  be  invaluable  to  us,  both  on  our  way  down 
to  the  frontier,  and  possibly  in  the  future,  which  Sir  Alex- 
ander Burnes  regards  as  very  threatening.  It  would  be  worth 
while,  therefore,  to  make  some  sacrifice  to  carry  him  down 
to  his  friends.  I  would  not  do  it  if  I  thought  the  journey 
would  harm  him,  but  I  believe  the  cold  air  of  the  mountains 
would  be  vastly  better  for  him  than  the  heat  of  the  plains 
round  Cabul.  He  may  suffer  somewhat  from  jolting,  but  I 
think  that  we  can  obviate  that  if  we  cut  two  strong  poles 
about  fifteen  feet  long,  attach  them  to  the  pack-saddles  of 
two  horses,  and  by  securely  fastening  a  blanket  between 
them  make  a  hammock,  in  which  he  can  ride  comfortably. 
The  poles  would  be  elastic  enough  to  save  sudden  jolts;  we 
can  only  go  at  a  foot's  pace  in  these  passes,  and  these  native 
horses  are  so  sure-footed  that  I  think  the  chance  of  any 
accident  is  extremely  slight.  The  horses  are  but  lightly 
weighted,  and  as  the  provisions  are  consumed  we  can  move 
a  portion  of  the  weight  they  carry  to  the  one  who  takes  our 
food." 

"  Yes,  that  would  be  a  good  plan,  master." 
"  Another  advantage  of  it  would  be,"  Angus  went  on, 
"  that  whereas  he  would  chafe  at  being  in  a  hospital  in  care 
of  the  people  he  hates,  his  spirits  would  naturally  rise  as  he 
felt  that  he  was  returning  to  his  friends,  and  this  would 
hasten  his  recovery.  However,  I  will  put  the  question  to 
him  in  the  morning.  If  he  decides  upon  being  kept  in  ca^np, 


172  TO  HERAT  AND  CABUL 

I  will  send  you  back  with  a  letter  to  Sir  Alexander  Burnes 
for  stretcher-bearers,  and  you  will  easily  overtake  us  at  our 
camping-place  to-morrow  evening." 

In  the  morning  the  young  chief  was  better  than  Angus 
had  even  hoped  for.  Once  or  twice  during  the  night  fresh 
water  had  been  poured  gently  over  the  bandages  on  the 
wounded  shoulder.  Like  all  people  living  chiefly  in  the  open 
air,  accustomed  to  climbing,  and  to  hard  exercise,  the  Af- 
ghans suffer  less  from  wounds  than  Europeans  do.  Abstemious 
in  their  habits,  comparatively  small  meat-eaters,  lithe  and 
sinewy  in  their  figures,  they  speedily  recover  from  wounds 
unless  of  a  mortal  nature.  Angus  found  that  the  chief's 
forehead  and  hands  were  cool,  and  there  were  no  signs  of 
fever  setting  in. 

"  I  have  been  thinking  over  what  would  be  best  for  you, 
and  decided  to  leave  the  choice  to  yourself.  I  am  acquainted 
with  Burnes  Sahib,  and  if  I  send  my  servant  with  a  letter 
I  know  that  he  will  at  once  send  out  a  party  to  carry  you 
into  hospital,  where  you  will  be  well  cared  for." 

"  I  would  rather  die  than  accept  kindness  at  their  hands,'' 
the  Afghan  said  firmly. 

"In  that  case  there  seems  no  other  course  but  for  me  to 
construct  a  litter  between  two  of  my  pack-horses,  and  to 
carry  you  over  the  mountains  to  Kundur." 

"  And  would  you  thus  burden  yourself  with  a  stranger  ? " 
the  Afghan  asked  in  a  tone  of  great  surprise. 

"  Certainly  I  would  for  a  wounded  stranger,"  Angus  said ; 
"  but  I  do  not  think  that  there  will  be  any  great  trouble, 
and  I  will  try  to  make  the  journey  as  easy  for  you  as 
possible."  He  then  explained  how  he  intended  to  carry  him. 
The  face  of  the  wounded  man  lit  up.  He  had  permitted 
Angus  to  set  his  limb  because  he  believed  it  was  destiny 
that  had  sent  him  to  his  aid.  He  felt  sure  that  the  man 
who  had  taken  such  trouble  with  him  would  leave  a  store  of 


A.  MISSION  173 

provisions  within  his  reach,  and  that  possibly  some  of  the 
natives  might  come  along  and  carry  him  to  their  village, 
and  so  tend  him  until  his  strength  was  restored.  It  was 
but  a  faint  hope,  for  now  that  winter  was  approaching  the 
men  from  the  upper  villages  would  have  come  down  into 
the  plain,  and  the  chances  were  but  slight  that  any  would 
enter  the  gorge.  His  hope  rested  chiefly  in  the  belief  that, 
as  he  had  been  so  unexpectedly  saved  from  death,  his  final 
deliverance  would  also  be  effected;  but  that  this  kind  trader 
should  offer  to  carry  him  up  the  passes  had  never  entered 
his  mind,  and  his  pale  cheek  flushed  with  pleasure. 

"  Certainly  I  will  go  with  you  if  you  will  take  me,"  he 
said  joyfully ;  "  nobly  indeed  do  you  carry  out  the  precept 
of  the  Prophet,  to  be  compassionate  to  all  those  who  need 
it." 

"  Let  us  say  no  more  about  it,  chief.  It  will  be  a  pleasure 
to  me  to  see  you  grow  stronger,  and  I  doubt  not  that  the 
mountain  air  will  benefit  you  greatly,  and  I  shall  have  my 
reward  in  seeing  you  regaining  your  strength.  We  have 
meat  with  us,  but  it  will  be  better  for  you  to  take  fruit  and 
a  little  bread." 

Two  soldiers  were  sent  out,  and  presently  returned  with 
poles  of  the  desired  length  and  thickness.  Breakfast  was 
then  eaten.  Afterwards  the  poles,  a  long  blanket  having 
been  firmly  lashed  between  them,  were  securely  fastened 
against  the  horses'  flanks  under  their  burdens.  In  this  way 
a  hammock  was  formed  in  which,  while  the  body  and  legs 
were  below  the  level  of  the  poles,  the  head  was  somewhat 
above  them.  A  cloak  was  rolled  up  to  make  a  pillow,  and 
the  chief  was  then  gently  lifted  and  laid  in  it. 

They  started  at  daybreak,  rested  in  the  shade  for  three 
or  four  hours  in  the  middle  of  the  day,  and  then  continued 
their  journey  till  late  in  the  evening.  After  two  days'  travel 
the  halt  was  no  longer  necessary,  for  they  were  now  far 


174  TO  HERAT  AND  CABUL 

above  the  level  of  the  plain.  The  air  was  fresh  during  the 
day,  and  at  night  all  were  glad  to  cover  themselves  with 
their  long  coats  lined  with  sheep-skin. 

Angus  had  made  no  attempt  to  discover  the  position  of 
the  ball  in  the  shoulder  of  the  wounded  chief.  Even  if  he 
found  it,  he  had  neither  the  instruments  nor  the  skill  neces- 
sary for  its  removal.  The  only  thing  he  could  do  was  to 
keep  the  cloths  bathed  with  cold  water  to  prevent  inflamma- 
tion setting  in. 

The  track  they  were  following  sometimes  disappeared  alto- 
gether, and  Angus  often  congratulated  himself  upon  having 
the  young  chief  with  him,  for  the  latter  had  twice  before 
crossed  the  mountains,  and  was  able  to  tell  him  which  line 
to  take.  The  day's  journey  varied  much  in  length,  being 
from  fifteen  to  twenty-five  miles,  according  as  they  found 
a  suitable  halting-place.  They  always  camped  where  there 
was  water,  emptying  the  skins  and  filling  them  afresh  as 
often  as  possible.  At  times  the  ground  was  covered  with 
snow.  This  they  thawed  in  a  pot  over  a  fire  of  brushwood, 
of  which  they  were  careful  to  gather  some  at  every  oppor- 
tunity on  the  day's  march. 

The  chief  and  Angus  occupied  the  little  tent,  while  Azim 
slept  with  the  two  soldiers  in  a  shelter  composed  of  blankets. 
Every  day  there  was  a  visible  improvement  in  the  state  of 
the  wounded  man;  the  cool  air  acted  as  a  tonic  to  his 
system.  The  first  two  or  three  days  his  arm  pained  him 
a  good  deal,  though  he  had  never  once  complained  of  it. 
It  was  kept  bound  to  his  side,  and  by  means  of  splints  and 
bandages  the  shoulder  was  held  in  its  natural  position;  more 
than  this  Angus  had  not  attempted.  He  believed  that  the 
shoulder  was  broken,  but  even  of  this  he  was  not  sure,  and 
could  only  hope  that  the  bone  would  knit  together  itself. 
One  day,  however,  in  reply  to  his  questions  the  Afghan  ad- 
mitted that  he  felt  a  burning  pain  just  over  the  left  shoulder, 


A  MISSION  175 

and  feeling,  Angus  perceived  a  hard  substance  apparently 
but  a  short  distance  under  the  skin. 

"There  is  no  doubt  that  this  is  the  ball,"  he  said.  "A 
surgeon  would  cut  down  upon  it,  and  get  it  out  easily 
enough." 

"  Then  why  do  you  not  do  it  ?  you  seem  very  skilful." 

"  I  have  had  no  practice,"  he  said.  "  My  father  was  a 
trader  of  Tabriz.  He  was  a  good  man  and  very  much  re- 
spected. The  poor  often  came  to  him  in  cases  of  accidents, 
and  I  have  many  a  time  seen  him  bandage  broken  limbs, 
that  is  why  I  was  able  to  do  it;  but  of  bullet  wounds  I 
know  nothing." 

"  Take  my  dagger  and  cut  down  to  it  at  once ;  the  pain 
of  a  cut  is  nothing.  Cut  fearlessly  and  deeply,  so  that  you 
can  take  hold  of  the  ball  with  your  fingers." 

After  some  hesitation  Angus  agreed  to  do  so,  for,  by  the 
pain  it  was  causing,  the  bullet  might  set  up  inflammation. 

"  It  is  a  mere  nothing,"  the  Afghan  said.  "  I  have  fre- 
quently cut  out  bullets  from  my  tribesmen." 

The  chief's  dagger  was  as  keen  as  a  razor,  and  seeing 
that  his  patient  really  wished  it,  Angus  performed  the  opera- 
tion. He  had  to  cut  three  times  before  he  could  manage 
to  get  hold  of  the  bullet.  The  Afghan  himself  did  not  once 
flinch. 

"  That  is  well,"  he  said,  when  the  ball  was  extracted. 
"  Now,  bring  the  edges  together  again,  put  a  piece  of  wet 
rag  over  them,  and  then  tie  a  bandage  tightly  round  me; 
by  the  end  of  a  week  there  will  be  nothing  but  a  scar  re- 
maining." 

Two  days  later  they  arrived  at  Bamian.  As  they  entered 
the  little  town  a  native  officer  of  a  Ghoorka  regiment  came 
out  and  demanded  their  business.  For  the  first  time  Angus 
was  unable  to  give  an  answer  in  the  language  in  which 
he  was  addressed.  Knowing,  however,  the  purport  of  the 


176  TO  HERAT  AND  CABUL 

question,  he  showed  his  letter  to  Lieutenant  Mackenzie. 
The  native  was  unable  to  read  English,  but  called  to  an 
English  artilleryman,  who  at  once  came  up.  On  seeing 
the  letter  he  motioned  to  the  pretended  trader  to  follow 
him,  and  conducted  him  to  the  house  where  Lieutenant 
Mackenzie  lodged. 

"  There  is  a  man  outside  who  has  a  letter  for  you,  sir," 
he  said  saluting. 

"An  Englishman?' 

"  No,  sir,  one  of  these  traders,  I  think.  He  has  some 
horses  with  packs,  and  he  has  a  wounded  or  dead  man  in  a 
litter." 

"  Show  him  in." 

Angus  on  entering  said  in  Persian,  "  My  orders  are  to 
deliver  this  letter  to  you  when  alone,  sir." 

The  lieutenant  signed  to  two  orderlies,  to  whom  he  had 
at  the  time  been  giving  orders,  and  Angus  then  went  on  in 
English :  "  You  do  not  remember  me,  Lieutenant  Mackenzie. 
I  am  Angus  Campbell,  on  the  staff  of  Sir  Alexander  Burnes.'' 

"  Oh,  yes,  I  remember  you  now,"  the  officer  said,  rising 
and  shaking  him  by  the  hand.  "  Of  course  we  have  met 
many  times,  but  in  that  Persian  dress  I  did  not  know  you 
again.  I  suppose  you  have  come  to  see  how  we  are  getting 
on?" 

"No.  I  am  on  a  mission  across  the  mountains  to  see 
what  Dost  Mahomed  is  really  doing  there,  as  you  will  see 
by  this  letter." 

The  officer  glanced  through  it.  "  I  see  you  do  not  want 
the  natives  here — there  are  not  many  of  them — to  be  asking 
any  questions.  Let  me  see.  We  are  pretty  closely  packed, 
as  you  may  imagine.  I  could  give  you  a  room  here,  but 
that  would  hardly  do." 

"No,  it  would  not  do  at  all,"  Angus  said.  "It  would 
appear  strange  indeed  to  the  natives  if  you  were  to  so 


A  MISSION  177 

honour  a  travelling  merchant.  I  can  do  very  well  without 
a  room,  for  I  have  a  tent  that  I  have  used  on  my  journey. 
All  I  wish  is  that  you  give  an  order  that  we  shall  not  be 
in  any  way  interfered  with." 

"  That  I  can  do  easily  enough,  and  will  put  a  sentry  over 
your  encampment  with  orders  that  no  one  is  to  enter  into 
conversation  with  your  followers." 

"  Thank  you ;  that  is  just  what  I  desire." 

"I  hear  that  one  of  your  men  is  ill,  can  anything  be 
done  for  him?  We  have  a  doctor  with  us,  and  you  could 
leave  the  man  in  hospital,  and  he  could  either  make  his 
way  back  when  cured,  or  follow  you — though  I  doubt 
whether  that  would  be  possible,  as  the  passes  will  soon  be 
completely  blocked  with  snow.  As  soon  as  we  are  sure 
of  this  we  shall  return  to  Cabul,  so  we  are  looking  forward 
eagerly,  as  you  may  imagine,  for  the  news  that  they  have 
become  impassable." 

"  Thank  you.  The  man  met  with  an  accident  by  falling 
from  his  horse,  but  I  doctored  him  as  well  as  I  could,  and 
I  think  in  another  day  or  two  he  will  be  able  to  sit  a  horse; 
and  as  he  knows  the  passes,  I  must  keep  him  with  me,  for 
already  the  paths  are  in  many  cases  obliterated  by  snow, 
and  I  should  fare  badly  indeed  without  him." 

"  Yes,  I  see  that.    How  long  are  you  going  to  stay  here  ?  " 

"  I  shall  start  again  the  day  after  to-morrow.  It  is  most 
important  that  I  should  push  on,  for  the  passes  may  be 
closed  any  day.  I  will  give  the  horses  and  men  one  day's 
rest,  that  is  all  that  I  can  afford  now.  I  will  say  good-bye, 
for  it  would  not  do  for  you  to  be  seen  speaking  to  me  again." 

"No,  I  suppose  it  would  not  do  for  you  to  come  here, 
but  I  will  after  dark  to-night  come  down  and  have  a 
chat  with  you.  I  have  had  no  news  from  Cabul  for  the 
last  fortnight.  There  would  be  no  harm  in  that,  would 
there?" 

(M  807)  H 


178  TO  HERAT  AND  CABUL 

"No;  I  should  be  very  glad  if  you  would  come  in  that 
way." 

Half  an  hour  later  the  tents  were  erected,  and  two  sen- 
tries were  placed  near  them  to  warn  off  all  intruders.  An- 
gus went  into  the  little  town,  and  made  some  purchases 
from  three  small  traders  who  had  remained  there,  and  had 
been  well  rewarded  for  doing  so  by  the  prices  they  obtained 
from  the  troops  for  their  stores.  Lieutenant  Mackenzie,  on 
his  arrival,  had  ordered  them  to  send  all  the  liquor  they 
had  to  his  quarters,  telling  them  that  unless  they  agreed  to 
this  they  would  not  be  allowed  to  remain,  and  promising 
that  the  liquor  should  be  returned  to  them  when  the  troops 
left.  Their  stores  were  almost  exhausted,  but  Angus  was 
able  to  purchase  some  rice,  a  pot  of  ghee,  and  a  sack  of 
grain  for  the  horses.  At  eight  o'clock  Mackenzie  came 
down.  Sadut  Khan  had  been  apprised  of  the  intended  visit, 
and  had  willingly  consented  to  be  carried  for  the  time  into 
the  other  tent,  so  that  Angus  had  his  to  himself. 

"  It  is  a  snug  little  tent,"  Mackenzie  said  when  he  entered 
it ;  "  not  much  head  room,  but  that  is  of  no  consequence,  as 
it  is  only  a  place  for  sleeping  in.  I  am  ashamed  to  come 
empty-handed,  but  I  only  brought  a  couple  of  bottles  of 
spirits  with  me,  and  they  are  both  empty  long  ago.  I  can't 
drink  this  beastly  native  stuff.  And  besides,  the  room  in 
which  I  stored  all  there  was  in  the  place  when  I  got  here 
is  •  locked  up.  I  made  the  traders  put  their  seals  to  it  so 
that  there  could  be  no  dispute  about  the  quantities  when  I 
handed  them  over." 

"Thank  you,"  Angus  said;  "I  don't  touch  spirits.  What- 
ever may  be  the  case  in  other  places,  I  am  convinced  that 
men  are  better  off  without  them  in  a  country  like  this. 
Certainly  they  are  best  avoided  in  hot  weather;  and  I  think 
even  in  the  cold  weather  coffee  is  infinitely  better,  and  I 
have  brought  a  good  store  of  that  with  me.  Now,  make 


A  MISSION  179 

yourself  as  comfortable  as  you  can.  Fill  your  pipe  from 
that  jar,  it  is  the  best  Persian  tobacco.  Then  when  the  coffee 
comes  in  I  will  give  you  the  news  from  Cabul." 

A  large  jug  of  coffee,  with  two  silver  horns  which  Angus 
had  bought  before  starting,  was  soon  brought  in,  and  then 
Angus  told  what  had  happened  at  Cabul  since  the  last 
letter  Mackenzie  had  received. 

"  Then-  you  don't  think  things  are  going  on  well  ? "  Mac- 
kenzie said  when  he  had  concluded. 

"  No,  there  is  much  disaffection  among  the  lower  class  in 
the  city.  The  tribesmen  are  restless  and  discontented.  It 
was  a  great  mistake  to  allow  Shah  Soojah  the  entire  control 
of  all  civilian  matters;  the  consequence  is  that  the  people 
are  grievously  oppressed  by  the  tax-gatherers.  The  Ameer 
himself  is  impatient  at  the  slightest  attempt  to  control  him. 
He  renders  himself  intensely  unpopular  by  hardly  ever  ap- 
pearing in  public,  by  his  refusal  to  grant  audiences,  and 
by  his  haughtiness  and  arrogance  to  those  whom  he  does 
admit  to  his  presence.  I  am  certain  that  he  could  not  main- 
tain himself  for  a  day  if  we  were  to  march  away,  and  I 
don't  see  how  we  can  leave  him  to  his  fate.  Altogether  the 
situation  is  very  difficult,  and  I  am  afraid  it  will  end  badly. 
They  want  a  strong  man  at  the  head  of  affairs.  I  do  not 
think  that  Macnaghten  is  a  strong  man.  Keane  is  a  good 
soldier,  but  it  is  said  that  he  will  return  to  England  in  the 
spring." 

"  And  how  about  Burnes  ?  " 

"  Burnes  is  my  chief,"  Angus  said  with  a  smile ;  "  but  I 
can  say  this,  I  believe  that  if  he  were  in  Macnaghten's 
place  things  would  go  on  better.  At  present,  however,  he 
has  no  authority  of  any  kind.  He  differs  from  Macnaghten 
on  almost  every  point,  and  any  advice  he  gives  is  almost 
contemptuously  neglected." 

"  It  is  a  queer  state  of  affairs,"  Mackenzie  said.    "  How- 


180  TO  HERAT  AND  CABUL 

ever,  I  suppose  we  shall  get  out  all  right  in  the  end.  It  is 
a  way  we  have.  We  generally  make  a  muddle  in  the  begin- 
ning, but  our  fighting  power  has  pulled  us  through.  Well, 
I  will  be  going  now;  it  is  eleven  o'clock.  I  think  that  it 
would  be  better  that  I  should  not  come  again  to-morrOw." 

"  I  think  so  too.  If  the  Afghans  here  entertained  the 
smallest  suspicion  that  you  were  visiting  me,  they  would 
feel  sure  that  I  was  not  the  trader  I  pretended  to  be,  and 
would  find  means  of  sending  a  message  across  the  moun- 
tains, which  would  result  in  the  failure  of  my  mission  and 
my  own  certain  death." 

After  a  hearty  farewell,  and  an  expression  of  the  best 
wishes  for  the  success  of  his  mission,  Mackenzie  said  good- 
bye and  left  the  tent.  The  Afghan  chief  was  carried  back 
into  it,  and  in  a  few  minutes  all  in  the  little  camp  were 
asleep. 


CHAPTER  XI 

A  DANGEROUS  JOURNEY 

ANGUS  made  every  effort  to  secure  the  services  of  a 
native  well  acquainted  with  the  passes  as  guide,  but 
was  altogether  unsuccessful.     The  difficulties  were,  they  de- 
clared, insurmountable,  the  danger  overwhelming. 

"  I  must  see  what  I  can  do,"  Sadut  Khan  said,  when  An- 
gus informed  him  that  the  natives  were  all  of  opinion  that 
the  snow  was  too  heavy  and  the  danger  too  great  for  the 
pass  to  be  attempted.  "  We  stayed  here  for  some  days,  when 
I  crossed  the  hills  with  Dost  Mahomed.  There  is  a  petty 
chief  living  in  a  village  two  miles  away;  if  he  is  still  there, 


A  DANGEROUS  JOURNEY  181 

I  think  he  would  accompany  you.  Whether  or  not,  I  am 
certain  he  would  not  divulge  the  secret  of  my  being  here 
to  anyone." 

"  I  will  go  myself  to  see  him,"  Angus  said.  "  I  hope  in- 
deed he  will  accompany  us,  for  if  not,  I  fear  that  our  journey 
has  come  to  an  end,  as  the  offers  I  have  made  would  have 
tempted  any  of  the  natives  here  to  go  with  me  if  they  had 
thought  it  possible.  Shall  I  mention  your  name  to  him  ? " 

"  Say  to  him  only  that  a  chief  of  the  Momunds,  whom  he 
knew  here  three  months  ago,  desires  to  speak  to  him." 

Angus  at  once  mounted  his  horse  and  rode  to  the  foot  of 
the  hill  upon  which  the  village  with  the  tower  of  its  chief 
was  perched.  Then  fastening  the  bridle  to  a  stunted  shrub, 
he  made  his  way  up  the  steep  ascent  on  foot.  The  place 
did  not  contain  more  than  a  dozen  houses.  As  he  passed 
through  these,  natives  wrapped  in  sheep-skin  jackets  came 
to  the  door  and  gazed  at  him  with  angry  scowls.  As  he 
reached  the  door  of  the  tower  four  armed  men  came  out. 

"  What  would  you  here,  stranger  ? "  one  of  them  said. 

"I  would  speak  a  few  words  with  your  chief." 

"He  does  not  want  either  to  buy  or  to  sell,"  the  man 
said  shortly.  , 

"  I  do  not  seek  to  sell,"  Angus  said.  "  I  have  a  message 
of  importance  to  him." 

One  of  them  went  into  the  tower,  and  returning  in  a 
minute,  motioned  to  Angus  to  follow  him.  The  chief,  a 
tall  and  powerful  man  of  middle  age,  was  seated  on  the 
floor  of  a  room  in  the  upper  story  of  the  tower.  Near  him 
was  a  large  earthenware  pan,  in  which  a  charcoal  fire  was 
burning. 

"  Why  come  you  here,  Persian  ? "  he  said,  "  and  what 
message  can  one  like  you  bear  to  me  ? " 

Angus  repeated  the  message  that  Sadut  Khan  had  given 
him.  The  chief  rose  to  his  feet  suddenly.  "  You  lie ! "  he 


182  TO  HERAT  AND  OABUL 

said  fiercely,  "he  is  dead.  The  news  came  to  us  a  week 
since." 

"  Nevertheless,  he  gave  me  that  message ;  and  if  you  will 
come  with  me  to  Bamian  you  will  see  for  yourself  that  he 
is  not  dead,  though  it  is  true  that  he  has  heen  sorely  hurt." 

"  I  go  not  into  Bamian,"  the  chief  said.  "  I  have  not  put 
foot  in  the  town  since  the  accursed  infidels  came  there. 
They  have  held  no  communication  with  me,  nor  I  with 
them.  This  may  be  a  trick  to  lure  me  there  and  make  me 
prisoner." 

"  If  they  had  desired  to  do  so,"  Angus  said  quietly,  "  they 
would  have  sent  a  hundred  men  with  a  gun  or  two,  and 
not  a  mere  trader.  Besides,  how  could  they  have  told  that 
a  Momund  chief  had  been  here  with  Dost  Mahomed  when 
he  passed  through  ? " 

"  Many  could  have  told  you  that,"  the  chief  said,  "  seeing 
that,  next  to  the  Ameer  himself,  he  was  the  most  observed 
of  the  party." 

"  Well,  chief,  if  you  will  not  go,  I  have  nothing  to  do  but 
to  return  and  inform  him  that  you  refuse  to  come  and  see 
him." 

"How  can  he  be  there,  in  the  midst  of  the  enemy,  unless 
indeed  he  is  a  prisoner  ? " 

"  He  is  not  a  prisoner ;  he  lies  in  my  tent.  You  can  see 
him  without  entering  Bamian,  for  my  camp  is  outside  the 
town.  What  motive,  chief,  could  I  have  in  deceiving  you  ?  " 

"  I  will  go,"  the  chief  said  suddenly.  "  It  shall  not  be  said 
that  I  refused  to  answer  such  a  call,  however  improbable 
it  might  seem." 

He  threw  on  a  cloak  lined  with  sheep-skins,  and  telling 
his  men  that  unless  something  befell  him  he  would  be  back 
by  noon,  he  led  the  way  down  the  hill.  Angus  mounted 
his  horse  when  he  reached  it  and  rode  beside  him.  For 
some  distance  the  Afghan  did  not  speak. 


A  DANGEROUS  JOURNEY  183 

"  Do  you  know  the  name  of  this  chief  ? "  he  asked  abruptly 
when  half  the  distance  had  been  traversed. 

"It  is  Sadut  Khan,  the  fighting  chief  of  the  Momunds, 
and  a  nephew  by  marriage  of  the  Ameer." 

The  Afghan  had  not  expected  this  reply. 

"  You  must  be  in  his  confidence  indeed,  Persian,  or  he 
would  not  thus  have  disclosed  himself  when  in  the  midst 
of  those  who  would  hail  his  capture  as  one  of  the  most 
valuable  prizes." 

"He  has,  as  you  say,  faith  in  me,"  Angus  said  quietly, 
"  and  will,  doubtless,  when  you  see  him,  give  you  his  reason 
for  that  trust  in  me." 

"Your  story  must  be  true,  and  I  believe  it;  forgive 
me  for  at  first  doubting  it.  But  having  heard  that  the 
chief  had  been  killed,  I  thought  this  was  a  plot  of  some 
kind." 

"It  was  natural  that  you  r^.ould  not  believe  me,"  Angus 
said.  "You  could  scarce  cre&Ji  that  he  was  alive,  and,  what 
was  still  more  strange,  that  he  should  be  in  a  town  occupied 
by  the  English,  and  yet  not  be  a  prisoner." 

"  This  is  a  fortunate  day  for  me,  indeed,"  the  Afghan 
said.  "  There  is  no  chief  whose  name  is  more  honoured 
in  the  country  than  that  of  Sadut  Khan.  He  is  as  brave  as 
a  lion,  good  to  his  people,  and  faithful  to  Dost  Mahomed, 
when  so  many  have  fallen  away  from  him.  The  Ameer  re- 
gards him  as  if  he  were  a  favourite  son,  and  it  will  gladden 
his  heart  indeed,  and  lessen  his  troubles,  when  he  learns  that 
he  is  still  alive." 

Avoiding  the  town  they  went  straight  to  Sadut.  Angus 
dismounted  and  led  the  way  to  his  little  white  tent,  and, 
raising  the  flap,  said  to  the  chief,  "He  is  here;  enter." 

The  Afghan  did  so;  and  thinking  it  best  to  leave  them 
together  for  a  time,  Angus  strolled  away  and  saw  that  his 
horse  was,  as  usual,  well  wrapped  up  in  a  thick  felt  blanket. 


184  TO  HERAT  AND  CABUL 

It  was  half  an  hour  before  the  chief  made  his  appearance 
at  the  entrance  to  the  tent  and  looked  round. 

Angus  at  once  spoke  to  him. 

"My  friend,"  said  the  chief,  "I  again  ask  your  pardon 
for  doubting  you  for  a  moment.  Allah  will  surely  bless 
you  for  the  good  work  you  have  done.  Sadut  Khan  has 
told  me  all,  and  it  passes  my  understanding  why  a  stranger 
should  have  cumbered  himself  with  a  wounded  man  of  whom 
he  knew  nothing." 

"  Does  not  the  Koran  bid  us  succour  the  afflicted  ? " 

"  That  is  true,  my  friend,  but  there  are  surely  limits.  One 
will  do  great  thing's  for  a  friend,  one  may  do  something 
for  a  stranger,  but  to  hinder  one's  journey  and  cumber  one's 
self  with  a  wounded  stranger  is  surely  more  than  can  be 
expected  of  us." 

Angus  now  entered  the  tent. 

"  My  trust  in  the  chief  was  not  misplaced,"  Sadut  Khan 
said.  "  He  will  act  as  our  guide  across  the  mountains, 
though  he  doubts  whether  it  will  be  possible  to  cross  the 
passes.  If  it  is  the  will  of  Allah,  Persian,  that  we  should 
not,  we  can  but  die." 

"That  is  so,"  Angus  said;  "but  the  passes  may  not  be 
as  badly  blocked  as  we  expect." 

"  We  can  hardly  hope  that,"  the  chief  replied,  shaking  his 
head.  "  The  last  party  that  came  over  reported  that  they 
had  never  known  it  so  bad.  This  was  a  week  ago,  and  since 
then  the  sky  has  always  been  dull  to  the  north,  and  it  has 
surely  been  snowing  there.  However,  to-day  it  is  lighter, 
.md  maybe  no  more  snow  will  fall  for  a  time.  We  had 
best  lose  not  an  hour  in  starting.  I  shall  take  four  of  my 
men  with  me.  We  have  no  horses,  but  that  matters  not  at 
all,  for  the  passage  will  have  to  be  made  on  foot.  Let  us 
move  to-morrow  at  daybreak,  and  travel  as  far  as  we  can 
before  it  is  dark." 


A  DANGEROUS  JOURNEY  185 

When  the  arrangements  were  all  settled,  Angus  went  into 
the  village  and  bought  some  more  grain,  cheese,  and  other 
food,  also  a  store  of  extra  blankets,  and  two  other  native 
tents;  these  were  to  be  packed  on  his  horse  and  Azim's. 
Among  other  things  he  bought  two  native  lamps  for  each 
tent,  and  a  good  supply  of  oil,  a  roll  of  flannel  for  tearing 
into  strips  for  winding  round  the  feet  and  legs,  and  he 
was  then  satisfied  that  he  had  done  all  in  his  power  to  render 
the  enterprise  a  success.  Before  daybreak  next  morning 
Hassan,  the  Afghan  chief,  arrived  with  four  of  his  followers, 
all  strong  and  sinewy  men.  The  animals  were  speedily 
packed;  Sadut's  litter  was  placed  between  two  of  the  horses 
which  were  more  lightly  loaded  than  the  others,  and  they 
set  out  just  as  daylight  was  spreading  over  the  sky. 

The  speed  with  which  the  start  was  effected  was  in  itself 
a  sign  that  all  felt  the  gravity  of  the  task  before  them. 
Angus  had  the  evening  before  explained  to  the  two  soldiers 
that  the  journey  before  them  was  one  of  tremendous  diffi- 
culty, and  offered  to  leave  them  in  charge  of  Lieutenant 
Mackenzie  till  spring,  when  they  could  return  to  Cabul  and 
rejoin  their  regiment;  but  they  would  not  hear  of  it. 

"  We  are  both  mountain  men,"  one  said,  "  and  if  others 
can  get  through  we  can.  At  any  rate,  we  will  risk  any- 
thing rather  than  return  with  blackened  faces  and  say  that 
we  had  feared  to  follow  our  officer." 

The  morning  was  bitterly  cold,  but  the  sky  was  clear. 

"  We  shall  do  well  to-day,"  Hassan  said  to  Angus,  "  and 
the  horses  are  fresh.  As  for  to-morrow,  who  can  say  ?  " 

The  snow  was  knee-deep  when  they  got  beyond  the  village. 
The  ascent  began  almost  at  once  and  was  heavy  work  both 
for  men  and  horses. 

They  continued  their  journey  till  it  was  too  dark  to  go 
farther,  then  they  halted  in  a  ravine  which  afforded  some 
shelter  from  the  piercing  wind.  All  set  to  work  to  clear 


186  TO  HERAT  AND  CABCL 

away  the  snow  where  the  tents  were  to  be  pitched,  but 
before  raising  these  the  horses  were  attended  to.  Blankets 
were  girded  round  them  from  the  ears  to  the  tail,  and  they 
were  picketed  touching  each  other  for  mutual  warmth.  A 
supply  of  corn  was  then  laid  down  before  each  on  some 
square  pieces  of  felt  placed  on  the  snow.  When  the  tents 
were  pitched  the  lamps  were  lighted  and  the  flaps  closed, 
then  snow  was  scraped  up  outside  until  the  canvas  was  cov- 
ered nearly  to  the  top.  In  spite  of  the  intense  cold  all  were 
thoroughly  warmed  by  their  hard  work  before  they  turned 
in.  Angus  took  Azim  into  his  tent,  the  rest  divided  them- 
selves among  the  other  two.  At  other  times  it  would  have 
been  unpleasant  to  be  so  closely  packed,  but  in  such  weather 
it  was  an  advantage. 

Before  setting  to  work  to  pile  the  snow  against  the  tents 
a  brass  kettle  filled  with  water  had  been  suspended  from 
the  ridge-pole  over  the  lamps,  and  the  water  was  almost 
boiling  by  the  time  the  work  was  finished,  and  in  a  few 
minutes  coffee  was  made.  The  frozen  carcasses  of  four 
sheep  had  been  brought,  as  well  as  a  large  quantity  of 
meat  that  had  been  cooked  on  the  previous  day.  Some 
slices  of  the  latter  were  thawed  over  the  lamp  and  eaten  with 
bread  that  had  been  purchased  at  Bamian.  But  few  words 
were  spoken  after  the  meal  was  finished,  their  fatigue  and 
the  warmth  of  the  tent  rendering  it  difficult  for  them  to 
keep  awake.  In  a  few  minutes  all  were  sound  asleep.  The 
next  day's  march  was  even  more  arduous.  Sadut  had  given 
up  his  litter  and  again  mounted  his  horse,  as  it  was  found 
impossible  for  the  two  animals  linked  together  by  the  ham- 
mock to  make  their  way  up  the  steep  place.  The  work  was 
toilsome  in  the  extreme,  but  all  worked  cheerfully. 

Hassan  and  his  four  men  laboured  with  the  greatest  vigour, 
carrying  burdens  to  places  which  horses  when  laden  could 
cot  have  climbed,  hauling  the  animals  out  of  deep  drifts 


A  DANGEROUS  JOURNEY  187 

into  which  they  frequently  fell,  carrying  Sadut  Khan  in 
his  litter  at  points  where  the  ascent  was  so  steep  that,  crip- 
pled as  he  still  was  by  his  injured  leg,  he  could  not  have 
retained  his  seat  in  the  saddle.  The  party  worked  in  almost 
complete  silence,  but  with  a  stern  determination  and  energy 
which  showed  their  consciousness  that  every  moment  was  of 
importance.  Twelve  miles  were  the  result  of  as  many  hours 
of  labour.  No  signs  of  a  track  had  been  visible  since  they 
left  Bamian,  and  Angus  felt  how  absolutely  impossible  it 
would  have  been  to  cross  the  pass  had  it  not  been  for  the 
intimate  knowledge  of  Hassan  and  his  followers;  even  these 
were  sometimes  at  fault.  None  of  them  had  ever  passed 
over  the  mountains  when  so  deeply  covered  with  snow,  and 
consultations  constantly  took  place  between  them  as  to  the 
line  to  be  followed.  When  they  arrived  at  their  halting- 
place  for  the  night,  Hassan  told  Angus  and  the  Momund 
chief  that  they  were  now  within  two  hundred  feet  of  the 
top  of  the  pass. 

"  To-morrow's  work  will  be  the  most  dangerous ;  the  north 
wind  sweeps  across  the  plateau  with  terrible  force.  More- 
over, I  do  not  like  the  look  of  the  sky  this  evening.  We 
have  been  fortunate  so  far,  but  I  think  that  there  will  be  a 
change." 

"  It  is  well,  indeed,"  Sadut  said  as  they  ate  their  supper, 
"  that  we  crossed  the  highest  pass  before  the  snow  began 
in  earnest;  we  certainly  could  not  have  supported  that 
journey  had  we  been  ten  days  later.  We  have  got  through 
the  hardest  part  of  the  work,  and  everything  now  depends 
upon  the  weather.  May  Allah  grant  that  there  be  no  more 
snow.  The  pass  to-morrow  is  but  twelve  miles  across,  and 
if  all  goes  well  we  shall  begin  to  descend  on  the1  following 
morning.  If  the  snow  holds  off  we  shall  be  able  to  do  that 
distance  easily,  for  it  is  almost  a  level  plain  that  we  have  to 
traverse.  Parts  of  it  will  be  nearly  clear  of  snow,  which 


188  TO  HEEAT  AND  CABUL 

the  fierce  blasts  sweep  away  as  fast  as  it  falls,  while  in 
other  places  the  surface  will  be  hard  enough  to  walk  on, 
the  snow  being  pressed  firmly  together  by  the  weight  of 
the  wind." 

They  were  on  foot  again  next  morning  even  earlier  than 
usual.  All  were  aware  of  the  importance  of  haste.  The 
tents  were  pulled  down  and  loaded  with  the  greatest  rapidity. 
The  cold  was  intense,  and  but  few  words  were  spoken  until 
they  reached  the  summit  of  the  ascent,  by  which  time  the 
effort  of  climbing  had  restored  the  heat  that  had  been  lost 
as  soon  as  they  left  their  warm  tents.  The  sky  was  cloud- 
less, and  Angus  felt  hopeful  that  the  day's  journey  would 
be  accomplished  with  comparative  ease.  He  noticed,  how- 
ever, that  there  was  an  anxious  look  on  the  faces  of  the  five 
tribesmen,  who,  although  they  were  travelling  more  rapidly 
than  they  had  done  since  they  left  Bamian,  were  constantly 
urging  horses  and  men  to  press  forward  at  a  greater  speed. 
Angus  had  expected  that  they  would  have  to  face  very  strong 
wind,  but  scarce  a  breath  was  blowing. 

As  Sadut  had  predicted,  the  rock  was  in  many  places  com- 
pletely bare.  The  fields  of  snqw  were  so  hard  that,  instead 
of  struggling  knee-deep  as  before,  they  now  seldom  sank 
over  their  feet,  and  sometimes  left  scarcely  a  track  upon 
the  surface.  The  hills  on  either  side  stood  up  clear  and 
hard,  and  the  silence  was  almost  oppressive.  They  were, 
they  calculated,  half-way  across  the  pass  three  hours  after 
leaving  their  camp,  when  Hassan,  who  was  walking  beside 
Angus  and  Sadut,  stopped  suddenly  and  pointed  to  the 
sky.  Looking  up  Angus  saw  two  or  three  little  wisps  of 
vapour  passing  overhead  with  extraordinary  speed. 

"  The  storm !  "  Hassan  exclaimed.  "  See,  others  are  com- 
ing; it  will  soon  be  upon  us.  We  can  go  no  farther,  but 
must  prepare  to  meet  it  instantly  or  we  shall  be  over- 
whelmed." 


A  DANGEROUS  JOURNEY  189 

Knowing  that  Hassan  would  not  have  spoken  thus  unless 
from  the  direst  necessity,  Angus  at  once  ordered  a  halt. 
The  plateau  was  perfectly  flat,  and  nowhere  could  any 
shelter  be  obtained,  and  they  were  now  on  an  expanse  of 
hard  snow.  Urged  by  the  shouts  and  exclamations  of  Has- 
san all  hastened  to  unload  the  animals.  As  soon  as  this 
was  done,  Angus  ordered  the  tents  to  be  pitched. 

"  It  is  useless,"  Hassan  said,  "  they  would  be  blown  down 
in  an  instant.  Let  them  lie  open  on  the  snow.  Let  each 
man  take  his  two  blankets  and  keep  them  by  him  in  readi- 
ness, find  when  the  storm  begins  let  him  wrap  himself  up 
in  these,  and  then  let  those  who  are  tent-fellows  lie  down 
together  on  one  side  of  the  tent,  pull  the  other  over  them, 
and  roll  themselves  in  it.  I  and  my  men  will  be  the  last 
to  take  shelter,  and  we  will  pile  the  sacks  and  saddles  over 
the  ends  to  keep  them  down.  But  first  put  all  the  extra 
blankets  over  the  horses  and  fasten  them  over  their  heads, 
and  let  them  hang  down  well  behind.  They  will  turn  their 
backs  to  the  wind.  Make  all  those  that  are  accustomed  to  lie 
down  do  so.  Range  the  others  close  to  them." 

Ten  minutes  of  hard  work  and  all  was  ready.  Then  they 
had  time  to  look  round.  The  sky  was  hidden  from  view 
by  masses  of  black  clouds  streaming  along.  The  men  took 
their  places  on  their  tents  and  wrapped  their  blankets  round 
in  readiness. 

"  Lie  down  at  once !  "  Hassan  ordered.  "  It  will  be  upon 
us  almost  immediately." 

The  men  did  so.  Hassan  and  his  followers  pulled  the  felt 
covering  over  them,  pushing  the  edge  of  the  upper  side  under 
them  as  far  as  possible.  Then  they  piled  baggage  and 
saddles  on  the  ends.  Angus,  with  Azim  and  Sadut,  re- 
mained standing  till  the  last.  Hassan  ran  up  to  them  with 
his  men. 

"  Quick !  "  he  said,  "  the  storm  will  be  upon  us  imme- 
diately." 


190  TO  HERAT  AND  CABTJL 

Glancing  ahead  as  he  lay  down,  Angus  saw  What  looked 
like  a  white  mist  in  the  distance,  and  knew  that  it  must  be 
enow  swept  up  by  the  force  of  the  wind.  Half  a  minute 
and  they  were  tucked  up  in  the  thick  felt;  this  was  weighted 
at  both  ends. 

"  Allah  preserve  you ! "  Hassan  shouted,  then  all  was 
silent.  A  minute  later  the  storm  struck  them  with  such 
force  that  they  felt  as  if  pressed  down  by  a  heavy  weight. 
Had  they  been  inclined  to  speak  they  could  not  have  heard 
each  other,  so  loud  was  the  howl  of  the  wind.  Wrapped 
up  in  their  sheep-skin  posteens  and  blankets,  they  did  not 
feel  the  cold.  For  some  time  Angus  lay  and  wondered 
how  long  this  would  last.  Presently  he  fell  asleep,  the 
warmth,  after  the  bitterly  cold  air  outside,  overpowering 
even  the  thought  of  danger.  He  was  lying  between  Sadut 
and  Azim,  who,  like  himself,  lay  without  moving.  Indeed, 
movement  would  have  been  difficult,  so  tightly  was  the  tent 
wrapped  round  them.  He  slept  for  many  hours  vaguely 
conscious  of  the  roar  and  fury  of  the  gale.  When  he  awoke 
at  last  it  was  with  a  sense  of  suffocation,  a  heavy  weight 
seemed  to  press  upon  him,  and  the  sound  of  the  storm  had 
ceased. 

"Are  you  awake?"  he  asked  the  others,  but  he  had  to 
shake  them  before  he  obtained  an  answer. 

"  Something  must  be  done,"  he  wert  on,  as  soon  as  they 
were  capable  of  understanding  him.  "  We  shall  be  suffocated 
if  we  don't  let  some  air  in." 

"  That  is  true,"  Sadut  said.  "  The  snow  is  evidently  piled 
up  round  us.  We  must  let  air  in,  or  we  shall  perish." 

But  in  spite  of  their  efforts  they  found  it  impossible  to 
move  forward  to  get  to  the  end  of  the  rolL 

"  We  must  cut  our  way  out ;  it  is  our  only  chance,"  Angus 
said,  and  turning  on  to  his  back,  he  managed  to  get  out 
his  long  Afghan  knife,  and*  cut  a  slit  three  feet  long  in 


A  DANGEROUS  JOURNEY  191 

the  felt.  As  he  did  so,  the  snow  came  pouring  in  through 
the  opening. 

"  Do  you  both  put  your  hands  under  my  shoulders,"  he 
said,  "  and  help  me  to  sit  up." 

It  was  not  until  he  had  cut  a  transverse  slit  so  as  to  allow 
the  hole  to  open  wider  that  he  was  able  to  do  so. 

"  The  snow  is  not  packed  very  hard,"  he  said,  as  he 
pressed  it  aside.  "  It  can't  be  very  deep,  for  I  can  see  light." 

It  was  not  long  before  he  was  on  his  feet,  and  had  pushed 
the  snow  sufficiently  back  to  enable  his  companions  to  get 
out  also.  The  feeling  of  suffocation  was  already  relieved,  as 
a  sufficient  amount  of  air  made  its  way  through  the  snow, 
and  after  five  minutes'  hard  work  they  clambered  out.  The 
gale  was  still  blowing,  though  not  so  violently  as  at  first, 
the  snow  still  falling  thickly.  Two  white  mounds  marked 
the  position  of  the  other  tents,  elsewhere  a  wide  expanse  of 
level  snow  was  seen.  It  was  evident  that,  as  it  drifted,  it 
had  first  heaped  itself  against  the  tent.  More  had  settled 
beyond  it,  and  so  gradually  mounds  had  risen  until  they 
were  seven  or  eight  feet  high. 

"  We  must  rescue  the  others  at  once,"  Angus  said. 

On  the  windward  side  the  snow  was  so  hard  that  their 
hands  made  no  impression  upon  it,  but  on  the  sheltered 
side  it  was  lighter,  and  working  with  their  hands  they  were 
soon  able  to  clear  it  away  ^own  to  the  end  of  the  tent 
beneath  which  Hassan  and  three  of  his  followers  were  lying. 
It  was  not,  like  the  others,  closed  there,  as  its  occupants  had 
been  unable  to  place  weights  on  it  after  they  had  rolled 
themselves  up.  As  soon  as  they  had  cleared  the  snow  and 
opened  the  felt  out  a  little,  Sadut  called — 

"  Are  you  awake,  Hassan  ?  " 

"  I  am  awake,"  he  replied,  "  but  am  bound  down  hand 
and  foot." 

They  cleared  the  snow  off  until  they  saw  a  foot.     Taking 


192  TO  HERAT  AND  OABUL 

hold  of  this  together  they  pulled  and  gradually  drew  one 
of  the  men  out.  The  other  three  were  extricated  more 
easily.  They  found  that  these  had  not  suffered  so  much 
from  a  sense  of  suffocation  as  the  first  party  had  done,  as, 
the  ends  of  the  roll  being  open,  a  certain  amount  of  air 
had  found  its  way  through  the  snow.  Half  an  hour's  hard 
work  sufficed  to  rescue  the  occupants  of  the  other  tent.  The 
three  were  unconscious,  but  the  cold  blast  speedily  brought 
them  round. 

"  What  is  to  be  done  next  ? "  Angus  asked  Hassan. 

"  The  gale  is  still  far  too  severe  for  us  to  move,"  the 
latter  answered.  "  We  had  best  clear  away  the  snow  over 
the  tents,  and  then  take  to  them  again." 

After  two  hours'  work  the  tents  were  cleared.  The  men 
had  worked  from  above,  throwing  out  the  snow  over  the 
sides  of  the  mound,  so  that  when  they  had  finished  the 
tents  lay  at  the  bottoms  of  sloping  holes.  A  meal  was  then 
eaten,  and  lifting  the  upper  covering  of  felt  they  lay  down 
again  and  closed  it  over  them.  The  sun  was  in  the  east, 
and  they  knew  that  some  fifteen  hours  had  elapsed  since 
the  gale  had  struck  them.  A  mound  of  snow  had  marked 
where  the  horses  were  lying.  They  did  not  interfere  with 
these,  for  Hassan  said  that  the  horses,  would  be  able  to 
breathe  through  the  snow,  and  probably  the  heat  of  their 
bodies  had  melted  it  immediately  round  them,  and  they 
would  be  much  warmer  than  if  the  snow  were  cleared  off. 
Before  turning  in  Hassan  and  his  men  managed  to  erect 
the  tent  of  their  leaders.  Lying  as  it  did  in  a  crater  of 
snow,  it  was  sheltered  from  the  force  of  the  wind.  Holes 
were  made  with  a  dagger  on  each  side  of  the  slit  that  Angus 
had  cut,  and  the  edges  tied  together  by  a  strip  of  leather. 
A  couple  of  lamps  and  oil  were  taken  from  the  sack  in 
which  they  were  carried,  and  also  the  bag  of  corn,  and  the 
little  party  after  filling  their  vessels  with  snow  and  hang- 


A  DANGEROUS  JOURNEY  193 

ing  them  over  the  lamps,  and  closing  the  entrance  to  the 
tent,  soon  felt  comfortable  again. 

"It  has  been  a  narrow  escape,"  Sadut  said.  "Had  it 
not  been  for  your  thinking  of  cutting  the  tent,  and  so 
enabling  us  to  make  our  way  out,  the  whole  caravan  would 
assuredly  have  perished.  Now,  we  have  only  an  imprison- 
ment for  another  day  or  two  at  most,  and  can  then  proceed 
on  our  journey." 

The  next  morning  the  gale  had  ceased,  though  the  snow 
continued  to  fall.  By  mid-day  the  sky  cleared,  and  all' 
issuing  out  from  their  shelters  prepared  for  a  start.  It  took 
them  an  hour's  work  to  extricate  the  horses;  one  of  these, 
a  weakly  animal,  had  died,  the  others  appeared  uninjured 
by  their  imprisonment.  All  the  vessels  in  the  camp  had 
been  used  for  melting  snow,  and  a  drink  of  warm  water  with 
some  flour  stirred  into  it  was  given  to  each  of  the  animals, 
and  an  extra  feed  of  corn.  As  soon  as  they  had  eaten  this, 
the  baggage  was  packed  on  their  backs,  and  the  party  moved 
forward.  It  was  heavy  work.  The  snow  that  had  fallen  since 
the  force  of  the  wind  had  abated  was  soft,  and  the  animals 
sank  fetlock-deep  in  it.  But  after  three  hours'  travelling, 
they  reached  the  end  of  the  pass  and  began  to  descend.  Two 
hours  later  they  halted  at  a  spot  where  a  wall  of  rock  afforded 
shelter  against  the  wind  from  the  north. 

"  Allah  be  praised  that  we  have  reached  this  point ! " 
Hassan  said.  "Now  the  worst  is  over.  I  can  see  that  we 
shall  have  another  storm  before*  an  hour  is  past,  they  gen- 
erally follow  each  other  when  they  once  begin.  But  here  we 
are  safe,  and  it  was  for  this  that  I  said  '  No '  when  you 
proposed  that  we  should  halt  at  the  mouth  of  the  pass." 

The  tents  were  soon  erected,  great  stones  being  placed 
on  the  lower  edge  to  steady  them  against  the  gusts  of  wind. 
Then  a  diligent  search  was  made  for  wood,  and  enough 
bushes  were  found  to  make  a  good  fire.  Strips  of  meat 

(M807)  N 


194  TO  HERAT  AND  CABUL 

from  one  of  the  frozen  sheep  were  cooked,  the  kettles  were 
boiled,  cakes  of  flour  and  ghee  were  baked,  and  the  travellers 
made  a  hearty  meal.  The  horses  were  each  given  half 
a  bucket  of  warm  water,  thickened  with  flour,  and  a  double 
feed  of  grain.  Then  all  sat  round  the  fire  smoking  and 
talking  until  it  burned  low,  when,  in  spite  of  their  sheep- 
skin coats,  the  bitter  cold  soon  made  itself  felt.  They  had 
scarcely  turned  into  their  tents  when  the  storm,  as  Hassan 
had  predicted,  burst.  Except  for  an  occasional  gust  they  felt 
it  but  little,  and  slept  soundly  until  morning,  when  they 
found  that  light  snow  had  eddied  down,  and  was  lying  two 
feet  deep.  The  day  was  spent  in  cooking  and  attending 
to  their  own  wants  and  those  of  the  horses. 

For  two  days  they  were  prisoners,  then  the  gale  abated, 
and  they  continued  their  journey,  and  late  that  evening 
arrived  at  the  village  of  Choi.  Here  they  were  received 
with  hospitality  by  the  natives,  who  were  astounded  that 
in  such  weather  the  caravan  should  have  made  its  way  over 
the  pass.  Resting  here  for  two  days,  they  travelled  to  Kala 
Sarkari.  Sadut  now  took  the  lead,  for  the  chief  of  the  vil- 
lage seeing  three  horses  loaded  with  merchandise  demanded 
toll;  but,  Sadut  announcing  himself  as  a  nephew  of  Dost 
Mahomed,  and  saying  that  the  whole  party  were  under  his 
protection,  the  threatening  attitude  that  the  inhabitants 
began  to  assume  was  at  once  calmed.  Four  days'  travel,  with 
halts  at  small  villages,  took  them  to  Balkh.  Here,  on  de- 
claring himself,  Sadut  was  received  with  great  honour,  and 
was  entertained  at  the  governor's  house,  where  Dost  Ma- 
homed was  lying  ill.  No  attention  was  bestowed  upon  Has- 
san and  his  followers,  who  walked  behind  him,  and  were 
reported  as  having  been  the  means  of  his  safety.  Angus  with 
his  party  kept  some  little  distance  in  the  rear  and  took  up 
their  quarters  at  a  khan  unnoticed,  but  when  Sadut  was 
seen  to  call  early  the  next  morning  upon  the  Persian  trader 


A  DANGEROUS  JOURNEY  195 

and  remain  with  him  for  a  considerable  time,  it  was  under- 
stood that  they  were  under  his  protection,  and  no  enquiries 
were  made  by  the  authorities  of  the  town. 

On  the  third  day  Sadut  said  to  Angus:  "I  regret  that 
the  Ameer  is  ill.  Had  it  not  been  for  that  he  would  have 
received  you.  I  told  him  of  the  services  you  have  ren- 
dered me,  and  that  but  for  you  a  few  hours  would  have 
ended  my  life.  He  said  that  he  would  like  to  see  so  noble 
a  man,  and  to  give  him  a  fitting  testimonial  of  gratitude  for 
the  service  done  to  his  sister's  son.  He  requested  me  to 
bring  you  to  him  as  soon  as  he  is  able  to  rise  from  his  couch; 
and  when  he  enters  Cabul  in  triumph,  as  he  assuredly  will 
do  ere  long,  he  hopes  that  you  will  establish  yourself  there. 
I  can  promise  you  that  your  business  shall  nourish." 

"I  thank  you  heartily,  Khan,  for  having  spoken  to  the 
Ameer  about  me,"  Angus  said  gravely,  "  but  I  cannot  re- 
ceive a  present  from  Dost  Mahomed.  I  have  intended  many 
times  to  tell  you  more  about  myself,  and  I  feel  that  I  must 
do  so  now.  You  are  my  friend,  and  I  cannot  remain  in  a 
false  position  with  you.  As  long  as  we  were  travelling  to- 
gether, no  harm  was  done;  it  mattered  not  to  you  who 
was  the  man  who  had  aided  you  in  your  extremity.  But 
the  case  is  different  now.  You  were  then  a  sorely  wounded 
man,  who  needed  what  aid  I  could  give  you;  now  you 
are  a  close  relation  of  Dost  Mahomed,  and  a  powerful 
Afghan  chief,  so  the  case  is  changed.  Dost  Mahomed,  and 
no  doubt  yourself,  know  what  is  passing  in  Cabul  by  means 
of  your  friends  there,  who  see  all  that  is  going  on.  The 
English  general,  on  the  other  hand,  knows  nothing  of  what 
is  passing  beyond  the  ground  patrolled  by  his  cavalry. 

"  It  was  important  for  him  to  learn  what  was  passing  on 
this  side  of  the  mountains,  and  he  selected  me,  an  officer 
in  his  army,  on  account  of  my  knowledge  of  Persian  and 
Pushtoo,  to  cross  the  mountains  and  ascertain  what  prospect 


196  TO  HERAT  AND  CABUL 

there  was  of  Dost  Mahomed's  returning  with  an  army  to 
Cabul  in  the  spring.  I  confide  my  secret  to  you  as  to  a 
friend.  You  can  see  that  it  would  be  impossible  for  me 
to  accept  presents  from  Dost  Mahomed  in  my  character 
of  a  Persian  merchant,  and  for  the  same  reason  I  should 
abstain  from  questioning  you,  or  even  allowing  you  to  give 
me  any  information  as  to  the  military  preparations  going 
on.  To  do  so  would  be  to  take  an  unfair  advantage  of  the 
chances  that  enabled  me  to  be  of  service." 

Angus  had  thought  the  matter  over,  and  knew  that  while 
such  work  as  he  was  engaged  in  would,  if  discovered,  cost 
him  his  life,  it  would  be  regarded  by  the  Afghans  as  a 
legitimate  means  of  obtaining  information;  and  although 
if  caught  he  would  be  killed  as  an  enemy,  his  action  would 
be  regarded  as  showing  that  he  was  a  man  of  great  bravery 
thus  to  place  himself  in  the  power  of  an  enemy.  This 
was  the  view,  indeed,  in  which  Sadut  Khan  regarded  it. 

"  You  have  done  well  to  tell  me,"  he  said  gravely.  "  It 
was  truly  the  act  of  a  brave  man  not  only  to  risk  dis- 
covery here,  but  to  undertake  the  terrible  adventure  of 
crossing  the  passes  when  winter  had  fairly  set  in,  in  order 
to  obtain  information  for  your  general.  Still  more  do  I 
wonder  that  you  should  have  burdened  yourself  with  the 
care  of  an  enemy,  one  who  was  fighting  against  your  people. 
It  was  wonderful  on  the  part  of  a  Persian  trader,  it  is 
far  more  so  on  the  part  of  one  against  whom  I  was  fight- 
ing, who  is  not  of  my  religion,  who  was  engaged  upon  an 
enterprise  of  such  a  nature,  and  to  whom  speed  was  a 
matter  of  the  greatest  importance.  Had  it  not  been  for 
the  slow  pace  at  which  you  travelled  with  me,  you  might 
have  crossed  all  the  passes  before  they  were  blocked.  I 
shall  fight  against  your  people  as  before,  but  I  shall  respect 
them  now  I  see  that  although  our  religions  differ,  there  are 
good  things  in  their  beliefs  as  in  ours,  and  that  even  the 


A  DiNGEBOUS  JOURNEY  197 

Koran  has  no  lessons  in  charity  and  kindliness  stronger  than 
those  that  you  have  learned  from  the  teaching  of  your  own 
religion. 

"  What  I  thought  wonderful  on  the  part  of  a  Persian 
merchant  is  still  more  marvellous  on  the  part  of  an  English 
officer,  who  could  have  no  possible  interest  in  saving  a 
dying  man;  and  who,  indeed,  might  have  gained  credit  by 
delivering  him  into  the  hands  <jf  his  countrymen,  since  so 
long  as  I  was  a  prisoner  in  their  hands,  I  should  be  a 
hostage  for  the  quiet  behaviour  of  my  people.  You  can 
do  no  harm  to  us  by  your  enquiries  here;  it  is  known  by 
all  on  this  side  of  the  mountains  that  the  Ameer  will  in 
the  spring  endeavour  to  turn  out  the  usurper;  it  is  known 
already  to  every  sheik  from  Candahar  to  Jellalabad.  Whether 
he  will  come  with  ten  thousand  or  twenty  thousand  men 
matters  little;  when  he  appears,  all  Afghanistan  will  rise. 
Your  generals  might  have  been  sure  that  it  would  be  so 
without  sending  to  make  enquiries.  I  cannot  tell  you  with 
what  force  we  shall  come.  It  will  not  be  a  great  army; 
even  in  summer  a  large  force  could  scarcely  traverse  the 
passes.  It  is  not  on  the  force  that  he  will  take  from  here 
that  Dost  Mahomed  relies;  it  is  on  the  host  he  will  gather 
round  him  when  he  crosses  the  mountains.  We  have  learned 
that  the  disaffection  to  Soojah  is  everywhere  on  the  increase. 
There  were  many  who  did  not  love  the  Barukzyes,  but  they 
know  now  that  things  are  worse  instead  of  better  since  the 
change,  for  the  man  has  made  himself  hated  by  his  arro- 
gance, his  contempt  for  the  people  in  general,  and  the  ex- 
tortion exercised  by  his  tax-gatherers. 

"  There  is  no  secret  in  all  this,  your  own  officers  must 
know  it.  What  you  will  not  learn,  for  the  decision  will 
not  be  made  until  the  spring,  is  the  line  by  which  the 
Ameer  will  advance.  There  are  many  passes  by  which  he 
may  then  cross;  or  he  may  go  round  by  Herat,  and  gather 


198  TO  HERAT  AND  OABUL 

forces  as  lie  advances.  Or  again,  he  might  go  east,  and 
crossing  by  the  passes  there,  come  down  through  Chitral  to 
Jellalabad." 

"  That  I  can  well  understand,  Khan.  Of  course  I  have 
already  learned  that  there  is  no  doubt  that  Dost  Mahomed 
is  preparing  to  cross  the  passes  in  the  spring,  and  that  he 
is  sure  of  the  support  of  the  tribesmen  on  this  side  of  the 
mountains." 

"  He  could  gather  a  very  large  army  if  he  chose,"  Sadut 
said,  "but  the  difficulty  of  transporting  food  for  so  large 
a  body  would  be  very  great,  I  think  that  ten  thousand 
men  will  be  the  utmost  he  could  move  with.  I  am  doing 
no  harm  in  telling  you  this,  because  you  would  soon  learn 
it  in  the  town,  and  it  is  certain  that  your  people  could 
not  prevent  his  passing  the  Hindoo  Koosh,  since  he  has 
so  many  routes  to  choose  from.  His  force  is  not  like  your 
army,  which,  moving  with  great  trains  of  baggage,  cannon, 
and  ammunition,  could  only  cross  by  one  or  two  passes; 
we  can  move  wherever  our  horses  can  climb.  And  now  I 
will  leave  you,  for  I  have  some  business  to  attend  to;  but 
I  will  return  this  evening." 


CHAPTER  XII 

TROUBLES  THICKEN 

ANGUS  saw  that  as  he  could  not  hope  to  obtain  further 
information,  however  long  he  might  stay,  and  as  he  had 
fulfilled  the  main  object  of  his  mission  by  discovering  that 
Dost  Mahomed  would  not  be  content  with  remaining  master 
of  the  northern  province,  but  would  certainly  advance  in 
the  spring,  he  could  do  no  good  by  remaining  any  longer. 


TROUBLES  THICKEN  199 

The  information  that  he  could  give  would  enable  Macnagh- 
ten  and  Burnes  to  show  the  Indian  government  that  their 
intention  of  withdrawing  more  troops  in  the  early  spring 
would  be  disastrous;  and  it  was  with  this  special  object  in 
view  that  he  had  been  sent.  He  had  on  the  two  previous 
days  sold  a  portion  of  his  goods,  but  had  held  out  for  the 
prices  with  which  they  were  marked.  He  was  now  more 
willing  to  bargain,  as  he  wished  to  travel  in  future  as  lightly 
as  possible.  Accordingly,  before  nightfall  he  had  disposed  of 
nearly  half  the  stock  with  which  he  had  started;  but  he  had 
at  the  same  time  purchased  a  certain  amount  of  goods  from 
Turkestan,  as  these  would  be  more  appropriate  as  merchan- 
dise when  he  started  from  Balkh  for  Herat.  Sadut  came 
again  in  the  evening. 

"  My  friend,"  he  said,  "  I  have  been  thinking  over  your 
position.  Doubtless  you  might  stay  here  for  some  time 
without  its  being  suspected  that  you  were  other  than  you 
seemed  to  be,  but  a  chance  word  from  one  of  your  men  might 
betray  you,  and  as  you  have  really  learned  all  that  there 
is  to  learn,  it  seems  to  me  that  there  is  no  use  in  your  tarry- 
ing, any  longer  here.  It  is  true  that  Dost  Mahomed,  for  my 
sake,  would  protect  you,  even  were  you  discovered.  Still, 
you  know  the  nature  of  our  people,  and  were  it  rumoured 
that  you  were  an  infidel,  you  might  be  torn  to  pieces  before 
either  the  Ameer  or  myself  knew  aught  about  it." 

"  I  have  come  to  the  same  conclusion.  If  I  thought  I 
could  gain  anything  by  remaining  I  should  do  so,  whatever 
the  risk;  but  as  it  would  be  useless  to  stay,  I  intend  to  leave 
to-morrow.  I  have  a  long  journey  to  make  via  Herat;  the 
sooner  I  am  off  the  better.  My  men  are  now  packing  up  my 
goods  and  preparing  for  a  start  at  daylight." 

"  I  felt  so  sure  that  this  would  be  your  course  that  I  have 
brought  with  me  an  order  from  the  Ameer  to  the  governor 
and  headmen  of  all  towns  and  villages  through  which  you 


200  TO  HERAT  AND  CABUL 

may  pass,  enjoining  them  to  give  you  good  treatment,  as  he 
holds  you  in  high  esteem  for  having  rendered  most  valuable 
services  to  me." 

"  I  thank  you  very  heartily,"  Angus  replied.  "  This  will 
greatly  facilitate  my  journey  and  save  me  from  all  small 
annoyances.  I  trust  that  we  shall  meet  again." 

"  I  hope  so  indeed.  Never  shall  I  f orget  the  debt  of  grati- 
tude that  I  owe  you.  Perhaps  some  day  I  may  be  able  to 
repay  that  debt  to  a  small  extent.  Remember,  that  in  case 
of  need  you  may  rely  upon  me  to  the  utmost.  At  any  rate, 
you  must  not  refuse  to  accept  this;  it  is  a  present  from  Dost 
Mahomed,  not  to  an  English  officer,  but  to  a  Persian  mer- 
chant who  has  saved  the  life  of  his  sister's  son.  He  talks 
continually  while  with  me  of  the  nobility  of  your  action, 
and  when  I  told  him  that  you  were  going  he  had  his  turban 
brought  and  took  out  this  gem,  which  was  its  chief  ornament, 
and  bade  me  hand  it  you  in  remembrance  of  the  deed.  I 
told  him  you  had  said  that  you  would  receive  no  present  for 
a  simple  act  of  humanity.  More  I  could  not  tell  him  with- 
out revealing  your  secret,  though  I  know  that  it  would  be 
safe  with  him.  You  cannot  refuse  to  take  this.  As  for  my- 
self, I  am  here  an  exile  far  away  from  my  own  people,  and 
have  but  this  to  give  you  as  a  token  of  my  love.  It  is  my 
signet  ring.  If  you  send  it  to  me  I  will  go  through  fire  and 
water  to  come  to  you.  My  tribesmen  will  all  recognize  it, 
and  will  do  anything  in  their  power  for  its  possessor." 

Angus  saw  that,  offered  as  it  was,  he  should  greatly  hurt 
the  Afghan's  feelings  if  he  refused  the  immense  ruby  sur- 
rounded by  diamonds  that  Dost  Mahomed  had  sent  him. 

"  I  will  not  refuse  the  gift  of  the  Ameer  so  given  to  me, 
and  shall  cherish  it  as  my  most  valued  possession  and  the 
gift  of  a  man  whom  I  for  one,  and  I  may  say  most  British 
officers,  consider  to  be  very  badly  treated  by  us.  I  know 
from  Sir  Alexander  Burnes  that  Dost  Mahomed  was  most 


TBOUBLES  THICKEN  201 

anxious  for  our  alliance.  Shah  Soojah  is  as  unpopular 
among  us  as  among  his  own.  people.  Of  course,  as  soldiers, 
it  is  not  our  business  to  concern  ourselves  with  politics;  that 
is  a  matter  for  the  government  only.  Still  we  cannot  but 
have  our  feelings,  and  I  am  sure  that  should  the  fortune  of 
war  ever  place  Dost  Mahomed  in  our  hands  he  would  receive 
honourable  treatment.  Your  gift  I  shall  prize  as  highly,  as 
a  token  of  our  warm  friendship,  and  trust  that  the  time  may 
never  come  when  I  have  to  put  its  virtue  to  the  test,  though 
I  well  know  that  I  could  in  necessity  rely  upon  any  help 
that  you  might  be  able  to  give  me." 

After  talking  for  some  time  of  the  best  route  to  follow, 
Sadut  Khan  took  an  affectionate  leave,  and  Angus  started 
the  next  morning  with  his  party.  Before  setting  out  he 
bestowed  handsome  gifts  upon  Hassan  and  his  followers, 
whom  he  had  learned  to  like  greatly  for  the  devotion  they 
had  shown  to  Sadut  and  the  energy  and  courage  with  which 
they  had  worked  during  the  journey.  Travelling  from 
twenty  to  five-and-twenty  miles  a  day,  with  occasional  halts, 
he  reached  Cabul  after  two  months  of  travel.  His  journey 
had  been  greatly  facilitated  by  the  order  that  he  carried 
from  Dost  Mahomed.  He  had  not  entered  Herat,  as  it  was 
probable  that  he  would  be  recognized  there.  Avoiding  the 
city,  he  travelled  by  the  same  route  as  before  to  Girishk, 
and  then  took  a  road  running  a  few  miles  north  of  Candahar 
and  falling  into  the  main  road  at  Kelat-i-Ghilzye. 

His  first  step  was  to  see  Sir  Alexander  Burnes  and  to 
report  to  him  that  assuredly  Dost  Mahomed  would  come 
south  with  a  considerable  force  as  soon  as  the  passes  were 
opened.  His  following  would  not  itself  be  very  formidable, 
but  he  relied  upon  being  joined  by  all  the  tribesmen  south 
of  the  hills. 

"  Your  news  is  most  opportune,"  the  agent  said,  "  and  can 
hardly  fail  to  induce  the  Governor-general  to  alter  his  deter- 


202  TO  HERAT  AND  CABUL' 

mination  to  withdraw  the  greater  part  of  our  force  in  the 
spring.  Already  we  have  not  a  man  too  many  for  contingen- 
cies that  may  arise.  Now,  tell  me  about  your  journey.  The 
winter  get  in  so  severely  directly  you  left  us  that  I  have  been 
seriously  uneasy  about  you.  I  had  only  one  message  from 
Mackenzie  after  you  had  left,  it  was  brought  by  a  native; 
and  he  told  me  that  you  had  passed  through,  but  that  the 
weather  had  changed  for  the  worse  the  day  after  you  started, 
and  the  universal  opinion  among  the  natives  was  that  you 
and  your  party  had  perished." 

Angus  gave  an  account  of  his  journey.  He  had  thought 
over  the  question  whether  it  would  be  wise  to  mention  the 
episode  of  the  wounded  Afghan,  but  he  concluded  that  it 
would  be  better  to  do  so,  as  Mackenzie,  when  he  rejoined 
the  force,  might  casually  mention  that  he  had  a  sick  man 
with  him;  and  he  therefore  told  the  whole  story  as  it  hap- 
pened. 

"  I  admire  your  humanity,  Mr.  Campbell,  though  it  seems 
almost  quixotic  to  burden  yourself  with  a  wounded  man. 
But,  as  you  say,  it  was  evident  that  if  you  could  manage  to 
carry  him  through  he  might  be  of  great  service  to  you. 
Undoubtedly  he  would  have  been  a  valuable  prisoner  to  have 
in  our  hands,  but  his  gratitude  to  you  may  prove  valuable 
to  us,  for  the  Momunds  are  a  powerful  tribe,  and  your  con- 
duct to  him  cannot  but  have  inspired  him  with  a  better  feel- 
ing towards  us  than  he  has  hitherto  shown." 

"  He  may  have  less  animosity,  sir,  but  I  fear  that  he  will 
still  be  found  fighting  against  us.  On  the  way  he  spoke 
many  times  of  his  determination  to  continue  the  struggle 
until  Afghanistan  was  free  from  the  infidel;  I  am  convinced 
that  his  indignation  at  the  treatment  of  Dost  Mahomed,  and 
his  fanaticism  are  so  strong  that  no  private  matter  is  likely 
to  shake  them." 

The  winter  passed  quietly,  and  the  attention  of  Burnes 


TROUBLES  THICKEN  203 

and  Macnaghten  was  turned  rather  towards  the  frontier 
than  to  the  state  of  things  round  Cabul.  Yar  Mahomed, 
virtual  ruler  of  Herat,  although  he  was  receiving  large  sums 
of  money  from  us,  was  known  to  be  intriguing  with  Persia, 
and  trying  to  form  an  alliance  with  the  Shah  to  expel  the 
British  from  Afghanistan.  Russia  had  sent  an  expedition 
against  Khiva,  and  the  conquest  of  this  little  state  would 
bring  her  more  closely  to  the  frontier  of  Afghanistan.  Dost 
Mahomed,  however,  had  gone  on  a  visit  to  the  Ameer  of 
Bokhara,  and  had  been  detained  for  the  present  by  that 
treacherous  ruler;  thus  for  a  time  the  prospect  of  an  invasion 
on  his  part  was  greatly  diminished. 

In  the  spring  Macnaghten  and  Shah  Soojah  returned  to 
Cabul.  The  former  continued  to  ignore  the  warnings  of 
Sir  A.  Burnes,  as  to  the  ever-growing  hostility  of  the  Afghans 
to  the  British  and  the  man  they  had  forced  upon  them. 
His  advice  and  that  of  Burnes  had  been  so  far  followed  that 
the  force  at  Cabul  had  not  been  diminished;  but,  not  con- 
tent with  this,  Macnaghten  continued  to  urge  on  the  Indian 
government  the  necessity  of  sending  a  great  force  to  occupy 
Herat  and  another  to  cross  the  mountains  and  thwart  the 
projects  of  the  Russians  by  carrying  our  arms  into  Bokhara. 
Moreover,  he  was  continually  applying  for  money  to  meet 
the  expenses  of  Shah  Soojah's  government.  As  if  the  drain 
that  these  demands  would  entail  upon  the  Indian  treasury 
and  upon  the  Indian  army  were  not  sufficient,  he  insisted 
upon  the  necessity  of  conquering  the  Punjaub,  where,  since 
the  death  of  Runjeet  Sing,  the  attitude  of  the  population 
had  been  increasingly  hostile. 

It  is  difficult  to  understand  how  any  perfectly  sane  man 
could  have  made  such  propositions.  It  would  have  needed 
the  whole  army  of  India  to  carry  them  out,  to  say  nothing 
of  an  enormous  outlay  of  money.  Although  the  Governor- 
general  and  his  council  firmly  declined  to  enter  upon  the 


204  TO  HERAT  AND  CABUL 

wild  schemes  proposed  to  them,-  Macnaghten  did  not  cease 
to  send  them  lengthy  communications  urging"  the  absolute 
necessity  of  his  advice  being  followed. 

As  the  summer  came  on  there  were  everywhere  signs  of 
unrest.  In  April  the  Ghilzyes  cut  the  communications  near 
Candahar,  but  were  defeated  by  a  small  body  of  troops  sent 
from  that  city.  The  Beloochees,  whose  country  had  been 
annexed,  were  bitterly  hostile,  and  convoys  were  cut  off. 
Candahar  was  invested  by  them,  Quettah  besieged,  and  Khe- 
lat  captured.  With  the  exception  of  Macnaghten  himself, 
there  was  scarcely  an  officer  in  the  army  but  was  conscious 
of  the  tempest  that  was  gathering  round  them.  Shah  Soojah 
was  as  unpopular  among  them  as  among  the  native  popula- 
tion. Macnaghten  was  almost  as  unpopular  as  the  Shah. 
Everyone  knew  that  it  was  his  influence  that  had  first  in- 
duced Lord  Auckland  to  enter  upon  this  war,  and  the  levity 
with  which  he  replied  to  every  warning,  and  the  manner  in 
which  he  deferred  to  Shah  Soojah  in  every  respect,  and  al- 
lowed him  to  drive  the  tribesmen  to  despair  by  the  greed  of 
the  tax-gatherers,  incensed  the  officers  of  the  army  to  the 
utmost. 

In  the  spring  the  little  garrison  of  Bamian  were  on  the 
point  of  being  reinforced  by  a  Sepoy  battalion  when  Dr. 
Lord,  who  had  been  sent  as  political  officer,  received  informa- 
tion that  led  him  to  believe  that  Jubbar  Khan,  one  of  Dost 
Mahomed's  brothers,  who  was  in  charge  of  Dost's  family  at 
Khooloom,  was  ready  to  come  in.  One  of  his  sons  had  already 
done  so,  and  Lord  thought  that  by  sending"  forward  a  force 
to  the  fortress  of  Badjah  he  would  quicken  Jubbar  Khan's 
movements.  It  had  the  desired  effect,  and  Jubbar  Khan 
came  into  Bamian  bringing  with  him  Dost  Mahomed's  family 
and  a  large  party  of  retainers.  This,  however,  in  no  way 
improved  the  position  of  the  little  party  at  Badjah,  for  the 
natives  in  the  vicinity  exhibited  the  greatest  hostility.  The 


TROUBLES  THICKEN  205 

officer  in  command  sent  a  detachment  under  Sergeant  Doug- 
las to  escort  another  officer  to  Badjah.  The  party  was,  how- 
ever, attacked,  and  although  they  made  a  gallant  resistance, 
they  would  have  been  destroyed  had  not  two  companies  of 
Ghoorkas  arrived  on  the  spot  and  beat  off  the  enemy. 

In  August  the  startling  news  arrived  that  Dost  Mahomed 
had  escaped  from  Bokhara.  He  was  received  with  open  arms 
by  the  governor  of  Khooloom  and  a  large  force  speedily 
gathered  round  him.  Early  in  September  he  advanced  upon 
Bamian  with  eight  thousand  men.  Badjah  was  attacked, 
and  although  the  Ghoorka  regiment  kept  back  the  assailants, 
it  was  evident  that  so  advanced  a  post  could  not  be  held, 
and  the  force  retreated,  leaving  all  their  baggage  behind 
them.  A  regiment  of  Afghan  infantry  had  been  raised  and 
were  stationed  at  Bamian,  but  on  hearing  of  Dost  Mahomed's 
approach  they  deserted  to  a  man,  most  of  them  joining  the 
enemy.  Even  Macnaghten  could  no  longer  shut  his  eyes  to 
the  serious  nature  of  the  position.  Cabul  was  full  of  Sikh 
emissaries,  who  were  stirring  up  the  population  to  revolt, 
promising  them  that  the  Sikh  nation  would  join  in  driving 
out  the  infidel.  Reinforcements  under  Colonel  Dennie 
reached  Bamian  on  the  14th  of  September,  and  on  the  17th 
Dost  Mahomed  with  his  army  approached  the  place.  Ignor- 
ant that  the  whole  force  was  upon  him,  Dennie  sent  Macken- 
zie with  two  guns  and  four  companies  of  native  infantry 
and  some  four  hundred  Afghan  horse,  and  himself  followed 
with  four  more  companies  in  support. 

On  joining  the  advanced  party,  he  found  that  the  whole 
of  Dost  Mahomed's  force  was  in  front  of  him.  In  spite  of 
the  enormous  disparity  of  numbers,  he  determined  to  attack; 
a  wise  resolution,  for  although  in  our  Indian  wars  the  na- 
tives often  fought  bravely  when  they  attacked  us,  they  sel- 
dom offered  a  vigorous  opposition  when  we  took  the  offensive. 
Mackenzie's  two  guns  opened  fire  with  shrapnel,  which  had 


206  TO  HERAT  AND  CABUL 

a  terrible  effect  upon  the  dense  masses  of  the  enemy.  These 
were  unable  to  withstand  the  fire,  and  soon  began  to  fall 
back.  Mackenzie  followed  them,  and  again  opened  fire. 
Before  long,  Dost  Mahomed's  levies  broke  and  fled;  and 
Dennie  launched  the  Afghan  horsemen  in  pursuit.  These 
cut  down  great  numbers  of  the  enemy,  and  dispersed  them 
in  all  directions.  The  effect  of  this  signal  defeat  was  at 
once  apparent.  The  Governor  of  Khooloom  entered  into  ne- 
gotiations without  delay,  and  pledged  himself  not  to  harbour 
or  assist  Dost  Mahomed;  the  country  south  of  Khooloom 
was  divided,  he  taking  half,  while  the  southern  portion  came 
under  the  authority  of  Shah  Soojah. 

The  victory  caused  great  satisfaction  in  Cabul,  but  this 
feeling  was  short-lived.  Dost  Mahomed  after  his  defeat  went 
to  Kohistan,  where  there  was  great  discontent  among  the 
chiefs,  some  of  whom  were  already  in  revolt.  General  Sale 
sent  a  force  from  Jellalabad,  which  attacked  a  fortified 
position  held  by  them,  but  the  assault  was  repulsed  with 
heavy  loss.  It  was  about  to  be  renewed,  when  the  Kohis- 
tanees  evacuated  the  fort  and  fled.  The  fact,  however,  that 
our  troops  had  met  with  a  repulse  had  a  great  effect  upon 
the  minds  of  the  natives.  For  the  first  time  the  Afghans 
had  successfully  withstood  an  attack  by  British  soldiers. 

Throughout  the  month  of  October  Dost  Mahomed  was 
busy,  and  at  one  time  approached  within  forty  miles  of 
Cabul,  when  guns  were  hastily  mounted  on  the  citadel  to 
overawe  the  town,  and  orders  sent  to  the  force  at  Bamian 
to  return  at  once.  Dost,  however,  moved  no  nearer.  Sir 
Robert  Sale  was  pursuing1  him,  and  it  was  not  until  the 
27th  that  he  moved  down  again  towards  Cabul,  and  on  the 
29th  the  greater  part  of  the  force  there  marched  out  to 
give  him  battle. 

On  the  2nd  of  November  the  two  armies  came  face  to 
face  in  the  valley  of  Purwandurrah.  The  Ameer  at  once 


TROUBLES  THICKEN  207 

moved  from  the  village  to  the  neighbouring  heights,  and 
the  British  cavalry  galloped  to  outflank  the  Afghan  horse. 
These  were  comparatively  few  in  number,  but  headed  by 
Dost  Mahomed  himself,  they  advanced  steadily  to  meet  the 
Indian  cavalry.  Gallantly  as  Indian  troops  have  fought  on 
numberless  fields,  on  this  occasion  they  disgraced  themselves 
utterly.  Turning  rein  as  the  Afghans  approached,  they 
galloped  away  in  headlong  flight,  pursued  by  the  Afghans 
until  within  range  of  the  British  guns.  Their  officers  in 
vain  attempted  to  arrest  their  flight,  charging  alone  into  the 
midst  of  the  enemy.  Two  of  them  were  killed  when  sur- 
rounded by  enemies,  Dr.  Lord  was  shot,  and  the  other  two 
cut  their  way  through  their  assailants  and  reached  the  British 
line  covered  with  wounds.  No  more  disgraceful  affair  has 
taken  place  in  the  story  of  our  wars  in  India  than  this  rout 
of  Indian  cavalry  by  a  third  of  their  number  of  wild  horse- 
men. 

But  even  yet  the  affair  might  have  been  retrieved  had 
an  officer  like  Dennie  been  in  command;  had  the  guns 
opened  and  the  infantry  advanced  it  might  still  have  been 
a  repetition  of  the  victory  of  Bamian.  But  Sir  A.  Burnes 
was  in  authority,  and,  easily  discouraged,  as  was  his  nature, 
he  gave  no  orders,  but  sent  off  word  to  Macnaghten  that 
there  was  nothing  for  it  but  to  fall  back  to  Cabul.  Sud- 
denly, however,  the  position  was  changed  by  Dost  Mahomed 
himself.  As  he  rode  back  after  the  victorious  charge  he 
thought  over  his  position.  His  imprisonment  at  Bokhara 
had  not  broken  his  spirit,  but  it  had  affected  him  by  show- 
ing him  that  the  Mohammedans  of  Central  Asia  could  not 
be  trusted  to  work  together  or  to  unite  to  beat  back  the  ever- 
advancing  wave  of  infidel  aggression  by  the  British  on  the 
south,  and  the  Russians  on  the  west.  But  more  than  this, 
the  defection  of  his  brother  at  Khooloom,  and  the  surrender 
by  him  of  his  family,  had  convinced  him  that  it  would  be 


208  TO  HERAT  AND  CABUL 

vain  for  him  to  continue  to  struggle  to  regain  the  throne 
that  he  had  lost.  The  Kohistanees  had  risen  before  he 
joined  them,  and  he  had  the  satisfaction  of  showing  that 
his  bravery  was  in  no  way  shaken  by  his  misfortune,  and  of 
gaining  a  success  of  a  most  striking  description.  Now  at 
least  he  could  lay  down  his  sword  with  honour.  Accordingly, 
without  telling  anyone  of  his  intention,  he  rode  off  the 
field  with  a  single  attendant,  and  on  the  following  day 
reached  Cabul  and  rode  to  the  British  Embassy. 

As  he  approached  it  he  saw  Macnaghten  returning  from 
his  evening  ride.  His  attendant  galloped  forward  and  asked 
if  the  gentleman  was  the  British  envoy,  and  on  Macnaghten 
saying  that  he  was  so,  he  then  returned  to  his  master;  and 
Dost  Mahomed  riding  forward,  dismounted,  saluted  the  en- 
voy, and  handed  him  his  sword,  saying  that  he  had  come 
to  surrender  and  to  place  himself  under  his  protection. 
Macnaghten  returned  it  to  him,  and  told  him  to  remount, 
and  they  rode  together  into  the  residency,  Dost  Mahomed 
asking  eagerly  for  news  of  his  family,  of  whom  he  had  not 
heard  since  their  surrender.  Being  assured  that  they  were 
well  and  were  honourably  treated,  he  was  greatly  relieved. 
A  tent  was  pitched  for  him,  and  he  wrote  at  once  to  hig 
son,  begging  him  to  follow  his  example.  He  conversed  freely 
with  Macnaghten,  gave  him  the  history  of  his  wanderings 
and  adventures,  and  assured  him  that  there  was  no  occasion 
to  place  a  guard  over  him,  as  his  mind  had  quite  been  made 
up  before  he  came  in,  and  nothing  short  of  force  would 
compel  him  to  leave.  His  only  anxiety  was  that  he  should 
not  be  sent  to  England,  and  on  Macnaghten  assuring  him 
that  this  would  not  be  the  case,  and  that  an  ample  main- 
tenance would  be  assigned  to  him  in  India,  he  became  per- 
fectly contented  and  calm. 

As  a  result  of  his  letter,  three  days  later  his  eldest  son, 
Mahomed  Afzul,  came  into  camp  and  surrendered.     Dost 


TROUBLES  THICKEN  209 

remained  two  days  at  Cabul,  where  he  was  visited  by  many 
of  the  British  officers,  all  of  whom  were  impressed  most 
strongly  by  him,  comparing  him  very  favourably  with  the 
man  for  whom  we  had  dethroned  him.  Macnaghten  wrote 
most  warmly  in  his  favour  to  the  Governor-general,  urging 
that  he  should  be  received  with  honour  and  a  handsome  pen- 
sion assigned  to  him.  He  was  sent  down  to  India  with  a 
strong  escort,  where  he  was  kindly  received  by  the  Viceroy, 
who  settled  upon  him  a  pension  of  two  lacs  of  rupees,  equiva- 
lent to  £20,000. 

Unfortunately,  just  at  the  time  that  the  ex- Ameer  re- 
turned to  Cabul  a  European  regiment,  a  battery  of  horse 
artillery,  and  a  regiment  of  native  infantry  were  recalled 
to  India,  and  with  them  went  Sir  Willoughby  Cotton,  and 
the  command  for  the  time  being  remained  in  the  hands  of 
Sir  Eobert  Sale. 

Angus  Campbell  had  not  accompanied  Sir  A.  Burnes 
when  he  left  Cabul  with  the  force  which  marched  out  to 
encounter  Dost  Mahomed,  but  had  been  left  in  charge  of 
the  office  at  Cabul.  He  was  now  his  chief's  first  civil 
assistant,  his  temporary  appointment  to  the  civil  service 
having  been  approved  and  confirmed  by  the  Court  of  Di- 
rectors at  home  in  consequence  of  the  very  warm  report  in 
his  favour  sent  by  Eldred  Pottinger  and  Mr.  M'Neill.  Sir 
A.  Burnes,  too,  had  in  his  letters  spoken  several  times  of  his 
energy  and  usefulness,  and  on  his  return  from  his  expedi- 
tion through  the  passes,  both  Burnes  and  Macnaghten  had 
reported  most  highly  both  of  his  volunteering1  to  undertake 
so  dangerous  a  mission,  and  of  the  manner  in  which  he  had 
carried  it  out.  In  return  the  directors  had  sent  out  an 
order  for  his  promotion  to  a  higher  grade,  and  had  ordered 
that  a  present  of  £1000  should  be  given  him  in  token  of 
their  recognition  of  his  conduct. 

"Your  foot  is  well  on  the  ladder  now,"  Sir  A.  Burnes 
(M  807)  O 


210  TO  HEBAT  AND  CABUL 

had  said  on  acquainting  him  with  the  decision  of  the  board. 
"You  will  now  have  your  name  on  their  books  as  one  of 
the  most  promising  of  the  younger  officers  of  the  Company, 
and  you  may  be  sure  that  they  will  keep  their  eye  upon 
you.  Macnaghten  will  shortly  return  to  England,  and  I 
have  long  been  promised  the  succession  to  his  post.  I  shall 
certainly  request,  and  no  doubt  my  wishes  will  be  acceded 
to  in  such  a  matter,  that  you  should  hold  the  position  of 
my  chief  assistant.  As  such  you  will  have  many  opportuni- 
ties of  doing  good  service,  as  you  will  naturally  proceed  on 
missions  to  the  chiefs  of  neighbouring  peoples,  and  will  so 
qualify  yourself  for  some  important  post  in  the  future." 

Macnaghten,  indeed,  was  extremely  anxious  to  leave. 
Bodily  and  mentally  he  had  suffered  from  the  strain  and 
anxiety.  He  had  been  promised  a  high  post  in  India,  prob- 
ably the  succession  to  the  governorship  of  Bombay,  but  it 
was  considered  advisable  that  he  should  remain  at  his  present 
post  till  the  country  was  more  settled.  The  winter  passed 
quietly.  With  the  submission  of  Dost  Mahomed  and  his 
sons  there  was  now  no  rival  to  Shah  Soojah,  no  head  round 
whom  those  discontented  with  the  Ameer's  rule  could  rally. 
He  was  the  less  unwilling1  to  remain,  as  he  thought  that  an 
era  of  peace  had  now  begun,  and  that  his  anxieties  were  at 
an  end.  He  was  soon,  however,  undeceived.  On  Shah  Soo- 
jah's  first  arrival  in  India  he  had  naturally  looked  to  the 
Dooranees  for  aid  against  the  Barukzyes,  who  had  so  long 
oppressed  them,  and  had  made  many  promises  of  remission  of 
taxation  as  an  incentive  to  their  zeal.  These  promises  had 
so  far  been  kept,  that  no  taxes  whatever  had  been  exacted 
from  the  Dooranees;  but  in  view  of  the  absolute  necessity 
of  raising  an  income  for  the  expenses  of  the  government, 
and  for  the  personal  expenditure  of  the  Ameer  and  his 
favourites,  it  became  necessary  that  all  should  contribute 
to  some  extent  to  the  revenue. 


TROUBLES  THICKEN  211 

Although  this  tax  was  but  a  tithe  of  that  which  they 
had  paid  under  Barukzye  rule,  the  Dooranees  of  the  district 
of  the  north-west  of  Candahar  rose  in  rebellion,  and  General 
Nott  marched  out  from  that  city  and  defeated  them  in  a 
pitched  battle.  For  a  time  the  movement  was  crushed,  but 
the  discontent  remained.  This  was  rendered  more  formid- 
able by  the  fact  that  the  Heratees  had  taken  up  so  offensive 
an  attitude  that  our  mission  there  had  been  withdrawn,  and 
proofs  were  obtained  that  its  ruler  was  fomenting  the  dis- 
content in  the  western  province,  and  was  encouraging  the 
disaffected  by  promising  them  assistance. 

In  May  more  serious  trouble  arose,  this  time  with  the 
Ghilzyes.  It  had  been  determined  to  restore  the  dismantled 
fort  of  Kelat-i-Ghilzye.  The  tribesmen  viewed  the  work 
with  hostility,  and  assembled  in  larger  numbers,  and  Nott 
sent  a  force  against  them  under  Colonel  Winder,  with  four 
hundred  British  troops,  a  Sepoy  battalion,  a  battery  of  horse 
artillery,  and  a  small  body  of  cavalry.  The  Ghilzyes  ad- 
vanced to  the  attack  in  great  force.  The  battle  was  long 
and  desperate,  but  the  volleys  of  grape  from  the  guns,  and 
the  steady  fire  from  the  infantry,  at  last  turned  the  scale, 
and  after  five  hours'  fighting  the  Ghilzyes  retired.  The  Door- 
anees were  again  in  arms,  and  three  thousand  men  were  as- 
sembled under  their  chief  at  Girishk.  A  small  force,  under 
Colonel  Woodburn,  marched  out  against  them  and  defeated 
them,  but  having  no  cavalry  on  which  he  could  rely,  he 
could  not  prevent  the  rebels  from  retiring  in  fair  order. 
Major  Eawlinson,  the  political  officer  at  Candahar,  again 
warned  Macnaghten  that  the  situation  in  western  Afghanis- 
tan was  extremely  threatening,  but  was  answered  that  this 
was  an  unwarrantable  view  of  our-  position,  and  that  there 
were  "enough  difficulties,  and  enough  of  croakers,  without 
adding  to  the  number  needlessly." 

But  Eawlinson  was  perfectly  right,  and  Macnaghten  was 


212  TO  HERAT  AND  CABUL 

living  in  a  fool's  paradise.  The  defeated  chief  of  the  Door- 
anees  was  joined  by  another,  and  in  August  a  force  of  eight 
hundred  cavalry,  of  whom  some  were  regulars,  three  hundred 
and  fifty  infantry,  and  four  guns,  under  Captain  Griffin, 
met  the  insurgents.  They  were  strongly  posted  in  a  suc- 
cession of  walled  gardens  and  small  forts,  but  the  fire  of  the 
guns  and  infantry  drove  them  from  the  enclosure,  and  the 
cavalry  then  charged  them  with  great  effect  and  scattered 
them  in  all  directions.  Another  defeat  was  inflicted  upon 
the  Ghilzyes  in  the  same  month.  For  the  moment  all  was 
quiet  again;  the  only  drawback  to  Macnaghten's  satisfac- 
tion was  that  Akbar  Khan,  Dost  Mahomed's  favourite  son, 
was  still  in  the  north,  and  was  reported  to  be  gathering 
troops  somewhere  near  Khooloom.  In  September  Macnagh- 
ten  received  news  of  his  appointment  to  the  governorship 
of  Bombay,  and  began  his  preparations  for  leaving  Cabul, 
and  Burnes  looked  forward  to  receiving  at  last  the  appoint- 
ment for  which  he  had  so  long  waited.  His  position  had  been 
in  every  respect  irksome.  His  views  differed  from  those  of 
Macnaghten;  he  saw  the  dangers  of  the  position  which  Mac- 
naghten  refused  to  recognize.  The  reports  he  addressed  to 
the  envoy  were  generally  returned  with  a  few  lines  in  pencil 
of  contemptuous  dissent;  but  he  believed  that  with  power 
to  act  in  his  hands  he  should  be  able  to  remedy  the  blunders 
that  had  been  made,  and  to  restore  peace  and  contentment 
in  Afghanistan. 

The  troops  were  now  commanded  by  General  Elphinstone, 
who  had  succeeded  Cotton.  He  was  a  brave  old  officer,  but 
almost  incapacitated  by  infirmities.  He  obtained  the  post 
simply  as  senior  officer,  and  was  wholly  unfitted  for  com- 
mand in  such  a  critical  time  and  in  such  a  position.  Prob- 
ably had  it  not  been  for  the  assurances  of  Macnaghten  that 
all  was  going  on  well,  and  that  the  trifling  risings  had 
been  crushed  without  difficulty,  Lord  Auckland  would  have 


TBOUBLES  THICKEN  213 

yielded  to  the  opinion  of  Ms  military  advisers  and  appointed 
General  Nott.  Had  he  done  so  the  greatest  disaster  that 
ever  fell  upon  the  British  army  might  have  been  avoided. 

Nothing  could  be  worse  than  the  position  in  which  the 
British  camp  and  mission  were  established.  They  were  on 
low  ground,  commanded  on  every  side  by  hills,  and  sur- 
rounded by  forts  and  villages.  They  were  nearly  a  mile  in 
extent,  defended  only  by  so  contemptible  a  ditch  and  ram- 
part, that  an  English  officer  for  a  bet  rode  a  pony  across 
them.  The  commissariat  compound  was  near  the  canton- 
ment, and  occupied  an  extensive  space  with  the  buildings 
and  huts  for  the  officers.  It,  too,  had  a  rampart,  but  this 
was  even  less  formidable  than  that  which  surrounded  the 
camp. 

Things  had  now  settled  down.  Many  of  the  officers  had 
sent  for  their  wives  and  children,  and  Lady  Macnaghten, 
Lady  Sale,  and  others  were  established  in  comfortable 
houses.  The  climate  was  exhilarating,  the  officers  amused 
themselves  with  cricket,  horse-racing,  fishing,  and  shooting, 
and  lived  as  if  they  had  been  at  a  hill  station  in  India, 
instead  of  in  a  mountainous  country  surrounded  by  bitter 
foes.  October  came  in  quietly,  though  Pottinger,  who  was 
now  in  Kohistan,  sent  unfavourable  reports  of  things  there. 
But  these  were  as  usual  pooh-poohed  by  Macnaghten.  The 
latter's  troubles  with  the  Indian  government,  however, 
continued  unabated.  The  expenses  of  the  occupation  of 
Afghanistan,  amounting  to  a  million  and  a  quarter  a  year, 
were  a  terrible  drain  upon  the  revenues  of  India,  and  it 
had  become  necessary  to  raise  a  loan  to  meet  the  outlay, 
and  the  question  of  a  withdrawal  from  Afghanistan  was 
being  seriously  discussed. 

None  of  the  good  results  that  had  been  looked  for  had 
been  achieved,  nor  did  it  appear  likely  that  the  situation 
would  improve;  for  it  was  evident  to  all  unbiassed  observers 


214  TO  HEBAT  AND  CABDL 

that  the  Ameer  was  upheld  solely  by  British  bayonets,  and 
that  when  these  were  withdrawn  the  whole  fabric  we  had 
built  up  at  so  enormous  an  expense  would  collapse.  The 
uneasiness  of  the  Indian  government  was  increased  by  the 
fact  that  a  change  of  ministry  was  imminent  at  home,  and 
that  the  Conservatives,  who  had  always  opposed  the  invasion 
of  Afghanistan,  would  at  once  take  steps  for  the  withdrawal 
of  the  troops  from  the  country;  and  the  investigation  which 
would  be  made  into  the  whole  affair  would  create  intense 
dissatisfaction  in  England,  and  lead  to  the  recall  of  the 
Indian  politicians  responsible  for  it.  The  news  stirred  Mac- 
naghten  to  fury;  but  he  saw  that  it  was  necessary  to  make 
retrenchments,  and  accordingly  he  largely  cut  down  the 
subsidies  paid  to  the  chiefs.  The  consequence  was,  that  the 
leaders  of  the  whole  of  the  powerful  tribes,  including  those 
round  Cabul,  the  Kohistanees,  Ghilzyes,  and  Momunds,  at 
once  entered  into  a  hostile  federation  against  the  British. 

Sale's  brigade,  that  was  about  to  start  on  its  way  to 
India,  was  ordered  to  attack  the  Ghilzyes  at  Jellalabad,  and 
on  the  9th  Colonel  Monteith  was  sent  with  a  Sepoy  regiment, 
a  squadron  of  cavalry,  and  a  party  of  sappers  and  miners, 
to  keep  the  passes  clear.  The  force  was,  however,  attacked 
at  the  first  halting-place,  and  Sir  Robert  Sale  marched  with 
the  13th  Regiment  to  clear  the  pass  from  his  end.  Joined 
by  Monteith's  force,  he  succeeded  in  driving  the  natives 
from  their  heights,  the  Sepoys  and  the  British  soldiers 
vying  with  each  other  in  climbing  the  almost  inaccessible 
crags.  The  13th  retired  down  the  valley,  and  Monteith  en- 
camped in  the  Khoord  Cabul  pass.  He  was  attacked  at 
night,  the  enemy  being  aided  by  the  treachery  of  the  Afghan 
horsemen,  who  admitted  them  within  their  lines.  They 
were,  however,  beaten  off,  and  Monteith  was  joined  by  Sale 
on  the  following  day.  Negotiations  were  then  opened  with 


TBOUBLES  THICKEN  215 

the  Ghilzyes;  terms  were  made,  but  broken  by  the  treacher- 
ous tribesmen  a  few  hours  after  they  had  been  signed. 

On  his  way  back  to  Jellalabad  Sale  was  attacked  more 
than  once  in  great  force,  and  with  difficulty  cut  his  way 
down.  Macnaghten,  who  had  determined  to  leave  on  the 
1st  of  October,  but  had  postponed  his  departure  for  a  short 
time,  wrote  on  that  day  that  he  hoped  the  business  just 
reported  was  the  expiring  effort  of  the  rebels. 

Angus  had  remained  with  Burnes  at  Cabul.  The  latter 
was  much  depressed  by  the  occurrences  that  had  taken  place. 
He  had  greatly  disapproved  of  Macnaghten's  wholesale  cut- 
ting down  of  the  subsidies  of  the  chiefs. 

"  How  unfortunate  am  I ! "  he  said  many  times  to  Angus. 
"  Had  Macnaghten  gone  but  two  months  earlier,  this  would 
never  have  happened.  It  has  been  money  alone  that  has 
kept  the  tribesmen  quiet,  and  the  very  worst  form  of  re- 
trenchment has  been  chosen.  Had  he  gone  I  should  have 
acted  in  a  very  different  way.  In  the  first  place,  I  should 
have  told  the  Ameer  frankly  that  the  troubles  were  solely 
caused  by  the  rapacity  of  the  men  he  had  appointed  to 
receive  the  taxes.  These  must  be  dismissed,  and  honest  and 
faithful  ones  appointed  in  their  place.  It  is  the  abominable 
tyranny  with  which  the  taxes — of  which  I  believe  but  a 
small  portion  ever  get  into  the  treasury — are  collected  that 
has  brought  about  the  trouble.  With  proper  administration 
the  revenue  could  be  doubled,  and  the  taxation  would  press 
much  more  lightly  upon  the  people  than  it  does  at  present. 
Now  the  evil  is  done,  and  I  shall  have  to  take  over  the  ad- 
ministration when  everything  points  to  a  terrible  catastrophe, 
with  which  my  name  will  ever  be  associated." 


216  TO  HERAT  AND  CABUL 

CHAPTEK  xm 

THE    MURDER    OP    SIR    A.    BURNES 

OCTOBER  passed  quietly,  and  Macnaghten  arranged  to 
leave  on  the  2nd  of  November.  Burnes  had  received 
several  warnings  as  to  the  formidable  nature  of  the  con- 
federacy of  the  chiefs.  Mohun  Lai,  the  principal  moonshee, 
who  had  been  down  to  Sale's  camp,  told  him  that  if  the 
conspiracy  was  not  crushed  in  its  infancy  it  would  become 
too  strong  to  be  suppressed.  Burnes  replied  that  he  had 
no  power  at  present,  but  that  as  soon  as  Macnaghten  left 
he  would  conciliate  the  chiefs  by  raising  their  allowances 
to  the  former  point.  On  the  1st  of  November  Mohun  Lai 
again  expressed  his  opinion  of  the  danger.  Burnes  replied 
that  he  feared  the  time  was  coming  when  the  British  would 
have  to  leave  the  country.  He  was  in  one  of  his  moods  of 
depression,  but  from  this  he  recovered  in  the  evening,  and 
congratulated  Macnaghten  upon  leaving  when  everything 
was  quiet. 

At  the  very  time  he  was  speaking  the  hostile  chiefs  were 
assembled  together,  and  were  discussing  the  methods  that 
were  to  be  taken  to  overthrow  the  British  power.  They 
determined  that  the  first  step  was  to  forge  a  document  in 
the  Ameer's  name,  ordering  all  the  people  to  rise,  and  at 
the  same  time  to  spread  a  report  that  it  was  the  intention 
to  seize  all  the  principal  chiefs  and  send  them  prisoners  to 
England.  It  was  singular  that  they  should  not  have  waited 
a  few  days,  for  the  Indian  government  had  sent  peremptory 
orders  that  the  whole  force  at  Cabul,  with  the  exception  of 
a  single  brigade,  should  return  with  Macnaghten  to  India. 

The  chiefs  decided  that  as  a  first  step  a  tumult  should 


THE  MURDER  OF   SIR  A.  BURNES  217 

arise  in  the  city,  and  this  they  at  once  set  about  exciting. 
They  had  no  idea  that  it  would  succeed,  and  none  of  them 
ventured  to  take  any  part  in  it,  as  it  was  only  intended  to 
excite  the  passions  of  the  rahble  of  the  city.  Early  the 
next  morning  a  friendly  Afghan  brought  Burnes  news  that 
the  residency  was  about  to  be  attacked.  He  did  not  believe 
the  intelligence,  as  the  city  had  of  late  been  as  quiet  as 
usual ;  but  on  sending  out  some  of  his  servants  into  the  street 
they  reported  that  there  was  certainly  an  unusual  stir  and 
excitement.  He  wrote  to  Macnaghten  saying  so,  but  stating 
that  he  did  not  think  the  matter  at  all  serious,  although  at 
the  same  time  he  requested  that  a  military  guard  should 
be  sent  to  him  in  order  to  overawe  any  disaffected  persons. 

Angus  had  gone  out  early  with  Azim.  The  latter  had 
for  some  days  past  spent  his  time  in  the  city,  and  each 
evening  had  returned  with  the  rumours  he  had  gathered. 
The  talk  in  the  lower  quarters  was  all  of  the  understanding 
at  which  the  chiefs  had  arrived,  and  the  general  opinion 
was  that  in  a  few  days  these  would  pour  down  with  all 
their  forces  and  annihilate  the  infidels. 

Angus  himself  noticed  the  sullen  expression  on  the  faces 
of  the  lower  class  and  the  manner  in  which  they  scowled  at 
him  as  he  passed,  and  quite  agreed  with  his  follower  that  the 
troubles  he  had  long  foreseen  were  about  to  come  to  a  head. 
When  in  the  streets,  too,  he  had  an  uneasy  consciousness 
that  he  was  being  followed.  Several  times  he  turned  sharply 
round,  but  in  the  throng  of  natives  in  the  streets  he  could 
recognize  no  face  that  he  knew.  This  morning  the  feeling 
was  particularly  strong,  although,  as  he  had  often  done  be- 
fore, he  assured  himself  that  it  was  pure  fancy  on  his  part. 

"  I  am  not  conscious  of  feeling  nervous,"  he  said  to  Azim, 
"  but  I  must  be  getting  so.  It  has  been  a  very  anxious 
time  all  the  year,  and  I  suppose  that  without  my  knowing 
it  it  must  have  told  upon  me.  However,  I  will  turn  down 


218  TO  HERAT  AND  CABUL 

this  quiet  street,  and  if  anyone  is  following  us  we  shall 
certainly  detect  him." 

A  hundred  yards  down  another  lane  crossed  the  one  he 
had  taken.  Azim  had  looked  several  times,  but  no  one 
else  turned  down  the  lane,  which  was  entirely  deserted. 
As  they  passed  the  corner  of  the  next  lane  some  men  sud- 
denly sprang  upon  them.  Cloths  were  thrown  over  their 
heads,  and  in  spite  of  their  struggles  they  were  lifted  up 
and  carried  along  rapidly.  In  a  couple  of  minutes  they 
stopped.  Angus  heard  a  door  open.  They  were  borne  along 
what  he  thought  was  a  passage,  thrust  into  a  room,  and  a 
door  was  slammed  to  and  locked  behind  them.  They  tore 
off  their  mufflers  and  looked  around.  It  was  a  room  of  no 
great  size,  with  strongly-barred  windows.  There  were  cush- 
ions on  a  divan  that  ran  along  one  side.  On  a  low  table 
in  the  middle  of  the  room  were  two  cold  chickens,  a  pile 
of  fruit,  a  large  jar  of  water,  and  two  bottles  of  native 
wine. 

"  What  on  earth  does  this  mean  ?  "  Angus  said,  "  and  why 
have  we  been  carried  off  ? " 

Azim  did  not  attempt  to  reply. 

"  We  are  prisoners,  that  is  certain,"  Angus  went  on ;  "  but 
it  would  certainly  look  as  if  they  meant  to  make  us  com- 
fortable, and  the  room  must  have  been  prepared  in  readi- 
ness for  our  reception.  I  see  no  hope  of  getting  away;  the 
windows  are  very  strongly  barred,  and,"  he  continued  as  he 
walked  across  and  looked  out,  "  this  little  yard  is  surrounded 
by  houses  without  windows  on  the  ground  floor,  and  with 
no  door  that  I  can  see.  I  suppose  there  is  one  below  us; 
anyhow,  if  we  could  get  through  these  bars  we  should  be 
no  nearer  liberty,  for  at  best  we  could  only  re-enter  the 
house,  and  possibly  the  door  is  fastened  on  the  inside.  There 
are  certainly  men  in  the  house ;  I  heard  voices  in  the  passage 
just  now,  and  no  doubt  one  of  the  fellows  is  stationed  there. 


1 '_ 


AS  THEY  PASSED  THE  CORNER  .    . 
ON   THEM. 


SOME   MEN   SPRANG 


THE  MURDER  OF  SIR  A.  BURNES         219 

The  only  reason  I  can  imagine  for  their  carrying  us  off  is 
that  we  are  to  be  kept  as  hostages.  Of  course  I  am  known 
to  be  Burnes's  chief  civilian  assistant,  and  they  might  think 
that  if  I  were  in  their  hands  he  would  be  willing  to  make 
some  concessions  to  get  me  back  again.  It  is  of  no  use 
worrying  over  it;  we  are  not  so  badly  off  as  we  were  in  that 
snow-storm  in  the  pass.  The  best  thing  we  can  do  for  the 
present  is  to  make  a  meal,  for  we  did  not  take  anything 
before  we  started." 

They  had  just  finished  their  breakfast  when  the  sound  of 
musketry  was  plainly  heard. 

"  There  is  fighting  going  on,"  Angus  exclaimed.  "  What 
can  it  mean?  There  are  no  troops  in  the  city  except  the 
native  guards  at  our  house  and  the  treasury  next  door.  It 
is  either  a  fight  between  two  factions  in  the  city,  or  they 
are  attacking  our  place.  It  is  maddening  being  fastened 
up  here  just  at  this  moment.  The  news  brought  by  that 
Afghan  this  morning  that  we  were  to  be  attacked  must  be 
true,  though  Sir  Alexander  altogether  disbelieved  it.  He 
was  in  one  of  his  happiest  humours  this  morning,  as  to-day 
he  was  to  obtain  the  goal  of  his  hopes  and  to  be  the  resident 
political  officer,  with  all  power  in  his  hands.  When  he  is 
in  that  mood  he  disbelieves  all  unpleasant  tidings,  while  in 
his  fits  of  depression  he  gives  credit  to  every  rumour  that 
reaches  his  ear.  Still,  the  house  should  be  able  to  hold 
out  ag'ainst  a  mob  until  help  arrives  from  the  camp;  but 
whether  or  not,  my  place  should  be  by  his  side  whatever 
comes  of  it." 

"If  there  is  really  a  rising  in  the  town,  sir,  we  are 
certainly  safer  here  than  we  should  be  in  the  streets,  or 
even  in  the  house." 

"That  may  be,"  Angus  said  impatiently,  "but  my  duty 
is  to  be  there."  He  paced  restlessly  up  and  down  the  room. 

Presently  Azim  said:  "I  can't  think  how  the  men  who 


220  TO  HEBAT  AND  CABUL 

seized  us  knew  that  we  were  coining  along.  It  was  quite 
by  chance  that  you  turned  down  the  lane." 

"  They  must  have  been  close  to  us  when  we  did  so," 
Angus  said,  "  and  must  at  once  have  run  round  by  another 
lane  and  posted  themselves  at  the  corner  where  we  were 
seized.  We  were  not  walking  fast,  and  there  would  have 
been  time  for  them  to  get  there  before  us  if  they  had  run. 
But  why  should  they  have  taken  this  trouble?  and  why 
should  they  have  prepared  this  place  beforehand  for  our 
reception?  It  beats  me  altogether." 

After  the  firing  had  continued  for  a  few  minutes  it  ceased; 
then  they  could  hear  a  confused  roar  of  shouting. 

"  Good  heavens ! "  Angus  exclaimed,  "  they  must  have 
taken  the  house.  The  troops  cannot  have  arrived  in  time, 
or  we  should  have  heard  sharp  volleys.  This  is  madden- 
ing." 

"Well,  sir,"  Azim  said  philosophically,  "if  we  had  not 
been  carried  off  we  should  have  been  in  the  house  when 
they  attacked  it,  and  should  have  shared  the  fate  of  the 
others,  whatever  it  may  be." 

"  That  is  true  enough,"  Angus  agreed ;  "  still,  I  ought  to 
have  been  there.  Ah ! "  he  broke  off  suddenly,  "  they  have 
not  taken  either  your  sword  or  mine,  or  my  pistols" — for 
although  not  in  military  uniform  the  civilians  generally  car- 
ried swords,  a  necessary  precaution  when  the  whole  native 
population  always  went  about  armed;  and  Angus  in  addi- 
tion carried  pistols  also  concealed  in  his  dress.  "It  is 
extraordinary  that  they  should  not  have  disarmed  us." 

"  I  do  not  think  that  they  intended  to  do  us  harm," 
Azim  said ;  "  they  could  have  cut  our  throats  had  they 
chosen  to  do  so,  when  they  brought  us  here,  without  fear 
of  discovery.  Why  should  they  leave  us  our  swords  and 
provide  a  good  meal  for  us  if  they  intended  to  murder  us 
afterwards  ? " 


THE  MURDER  OP  SIR  A.  BURNES         221 

"  That  is  so,  Azim,  and  it  makes  the  aftair  more  incom- 
prehensible. I  tried  to  get  at  my  pistols  as  they  carried 
me  along,  but  they  held  my  arms  too  tightly  for  me  to  do 
so.  It  seems  to  me  possible  that  this  is  the  work  of  some- 
one who  was  aware  of  the  intended  attack,  and  who  doubted 
whether  the  troops  would  not  enter  the  city  and  slaughter 
many  of  the  inhabitants,  and  so  thought  that  by  producing 
us  at  the  right  moment  he  would  not  only  clear  himself, 
from  any  charge  of  taking  part  in  the  affair,  but  would  earn 
a  reward  for  having  saved  our  lives.  I  certainly  have  no 
friend  in  the  city  who  would  be  likely  to  seize  me  for  any 
other  object.  Of  course,  I  was  in  communication  with  most 
of  the  important  persons  here,  but  it  has  been  simply  in  an 
official  way." 

"  Whoever  it  is  must  have  been  watching  you  for  some 
days,  master,  if,  as  you  thought,  he  has  been  following  you 
whenever  you  went  out." 

"  I  can  have  no  doubt  on  that  subject  now,  Azim,"  and 
Angus  sat  thinking  for  some  time.  "  I  think,"  he  said 
suddenly,  "  it  must  be  Sadut  Khan ;  if  so,  we  are  safe.  We 
know  that  he  was  with  the  Ameer,  and  rode  with  him  when 
he  defeated  our  cavalry,  and  it  has  been  reported  that  he 
has  since  returned  to  his  tribe,  though  we  have  no  certain 
information  about  it.  It  is  possible  that,  knowing"  we  were 
about  to  be  attacked  by  the  whole  force  of  the  tribesmen, 
he  has  borne  his  promise  in  mind,  and  has  employed  men 
to  watch  me  and  take  steps,  if  necessary,  to  secure  my  safety. 
That  certainly  would  explain  what  before  it  seemed  im- 
possible to  understand." 

The  noise  in  the  town  still  continued.  At  one  time  there 
was  sound  of  heavy  musketry  firing. 

"  The  troops  have  entered  the  city,"  Angus  exclaimed ; 
"there  will  be  hard  fighting,  for  in  the  narrow  streets  an 
armed  mob  can  offer  a  desperate  resistance  even  to  the  best 


222  TO  HERAT  AND  CABUL 

troops.  But  in  the  end  they  will  put  down  this  tumult, 
and  if  Sir  Alexander  has  been  murdered,  exact  a  heavy 
penalty  for  his  death." 

In  half  an  hour  the  firing  gradually  abated,  and  the 
musket  shots  came  more  faintly  through  the  air.  "  Our 
men  are  falling  back,  Azim,  there  can  be  little  doubt  about 
that  by  the  sound.  There  cannot  be  any  great  number  of 
troops  engaged.  What  on  earth  can  Macnaghten  and  Elphin- 
stone  be  doing?" 

The  roar  of  shouting  in  the  streets  became  louder,  and 
there  was  an  occasional  sound  of  firearms.  "  It  is  quite 
evident  that  the  mob  are  in  entire  possession  of  the  city, 
Azim.  They  are  looting  the  traders'  quarter,  and  probably 
murdering  all  the  whites  who  have  taken  up  their  residence 
there." 

These  fears  were  fully  justified.  The  houses  of  Sir  Alex- 
ander Burnes  and  Captain  Johnson,  the  paymaster  of  the 
Ameer's  troops,  adjoined  each  other.  Johnson  had,  fortu- 
nately for  himself,  slept  that  night  in  the  camp.  Sir  Alex- 
ander had  with  him  his  brother,  Lieutenant  Burnes,  and 
Lieutenant  Broadfoot,  his  military  secretary,  who  had  just 
arrived.  Curiously  enough,  it  was  the  anniversary  of  the 
disastrous  fight  at  Purwandurrah,  in  which  fight  Broad- 
foot's  eldest  brother  had  been  killed.  Soon  after  Angus 
had  gone  out  the  Ameer's  minister  arrived  and  repeated  the 
warning  already  given  by  the  friendly  Afghan.  Burnes 
could  no  longer  doubt  that  there  was  danger,  but  he  refused 
to  leave  his  house,  saying  that  as  soon  as  the  news  that 
there  was  a  tumult  reached  the  camp,  the  troops  would  be 
at  once  despatched  to  put  it  down.  He,  however,  wrote 
urgently  to  Macnaghten  for  support,  and  sent  messengers 
to  the  most  powerful  native  chief  in  the  town  begging  him 
to  calm  the  people,  and  assure  them  that  all  grievances 
should  be  redressed. 


THE  MUEDEB  OF  SIB  A.  BUBNES         223 

One  of  the  messengers  was  killed  on  the  way,  the  other 
managed  to  return  to  the  house  desperately  wounded.  The 
gathering  in  the  street  increased  every  moment.  Burnes 
with  the  two  officers  went  out  on  to  a  balcony,  and  from 
thence  harangued  the  mob.  His  voice  was  drowned  by 
yells  and  curses,  weapons  were  brandished,  and  an  attack 
was  made  on  the  doors  of  both  houses.  Part  of  the  mob 
were  fanatics,  who  thought  only  of  slaying  the  infidels,  but 
a  still  larger  party  were  animated  solely  by  a  desire  to 
share  in  the  sack  of  the  Ameer's  treasury  next  door.  The 
native  guards  both  of  Sir  Alexander  and  the  treasury  opened 
fire,  and  for  a  time  maintained  themselves  with  the  greatest 
bravery.  Of  the  English  officers,  Broadfoot  was  the  first 
to  fall,  shot  through  the  heart.  The  position  became  more 
and  more  desperate.  A  party  of  the  insurgents  had  set  fire 
to  the  stables  and  forced  their  way  into  the  garden.  Burnes 
was  still  attempting  to  lull  the  fury  of  the  crowd.  Long 
ere  this  troops  should  have  arrived  to  his  rescue,  but  there 
were  no  signs  that  they  were  approaching.  At  last,  seeing 
that  all  was  lost,  he  disguised  himself  and  went  out  into  the 
garden  with  a  man  who  had  sworn  by  the  Koran  to  convey 
him  and  his  brother  safely  into  camp.  No  sooner,  however, 
did  they  issue  out  than  the  traitor  shouted :  "  This  is 
Burnes." 

The  mob  rushed  upon  the  brothers  and  hewed  them  to 
pieces.  The  defenders  of  the  two  houses  fought  bravely 
to  the  last,  but  were  finally  slaughtered  to  a  man. 

Sir  Alexander  Burnes  owed  his  death  to  the  faults  of 
others  rather  than  his  own.  Having  been  previously  at 
Cabul  as  the  British  agent,  and  speaking  the  language  per- 
fectly, it  was  to  him  the  people  made  their  complaints,  to 
him  they  looked  for  redress.  They  knew  nothing  of  Mac- 
naghten.  When  they  found  their  condition  growing  from 
bad  to  worse,  their  taxes  increasing,  their  trade  at  a  stand- 


224  TO  HERAT  AND  CABUL 

still,  food  extremely  dear,  and  employment  wanting,  it  was 
on  Burnes  that  they  laid  the  blame;  and  yet  he  was  all  the 
time  endeavouring,  but  in  vain,  to  persuade  Macnaghten 
that  it  was  absolutely  necessary  to  compel  the  Ameer  to 
abandon  a  course  that  was  exasperating  for  people  of  all 
classes,  from  the  most  powerful  chiefs  to  the  poorest  in- 
habitants of  the  city.  Burnes  was  unquestionably  a  man 
of  great  ability,  and  had  he  been  in  Macnaghten's  place  with 
full  power  and  responsibility,  things  would  probably  have 
turned  out  differently. 

The  expedition  from  the  first  was  a  gigantic  blunder, 
undertaken  in  the  teeth  of  his  remonstrances.  In  any  case 
it  was  doomed  to  failure.  It  was  impossible  that  we  could 
maintain  on  the  throne  a  man  hated  by  the  whole  of  his 
subjects — a  race  of  fighting  men,  jealous  to  the  last  degree 
of  their  independence,  and  able  to  take  full  advantage  of 
the  natural  strength  of  the  country.  But  under  the  ad- 
ministration of  an  officer  at  once  firm  and  resolute,  and 
anxious  to  conciliate  them  in  every  way,  the  British  force 
might  have  remained  until  the  Indian  government  could  no 
longer  support  the  expense  of  the  occupation,  and  could 
then  have  withdrawn  quietly  with  the  puppet  who  had  proved 
himself  so  utterly  incapable  of  conciliating  the  people  upou 
whom  we  had  thrust  him. 

The  great  fault  in  the  character  of  Burnes  was  instability 
— his  alternate  fits  of  sanguine  hopefulness  and  deep  de- 
pression, and  his  readiness  to  believe  what  suited  his  mood 
of  the  moment.  These  characteristics  were  no  doubt  height- 
ened by  the  unfortunate  position  in  which  he  found  himself. 
lie  had  had  every  reason  to  expect  that  in  view  of  his  previ- 
ous residence  in  Cabul  and  his  knowledge  of  the  character 
of  the  people,  he  would  have  the  post  of  political  officer  of 
the  Afghan  capital,  and  he  only  accepted  a  secondary  posi- 
tion upon  the  understanding  that  Macnaghten's  appointment 


THE  MUBDEB  OF  SIB  A.  BUBNES  225 

•was  a  temporary  one,  and  that  he  would  succeed  him.  When, 
however,  months  and  years  elapsed,  and  he  was  still  without 
any  recognized  position  whatever,  when  his  advice  was  never 
adopted  and  his  opinions  contemptuously  set  aside  by  a  man 
infinitely  his  inferior,  he  naturally  came  to  take  the  worst 
view  of  things,  and  his  fits  of  depression  became  more  fre- 
quent. At  last  he  fell,  not  because  his  house  was  isolated, 
for  it  could  have  held  out  until  aid  had  come,  but  because 
the  three  men  whose  duty  it  was  to  rescue  him — Macnaghten, 
the  Ameer,  and  Elphinstone — were  alike  vacillating,  undeter- 
mined, and  incompetent. 

The  Ameer  was  the  only  one  of  these  three  to  take  any 
steps.  When  he  heard  of  the  riot  he  sent  down  a  regiment 
of  Hindoostanee  troops  to  rescue  Burnes.  Instead,  how- 
ever, of  marching  outside  the  town  to  the  end  of  the  street 
in  which  Burnes's  house  was  situated,  they  entered  the  city 
by  the  nearest  gate,  and  tried  to  make  their  way  through 
a  maze  of  narrow  lanes.  Their  advance  was  desperately 
opposed.  From  every  house  and  roof  a  fire  of  musketry 
was  kept  up,  and,  after  losing  two  hundred  of  their  number, 
they  fled  in  utter  confusion  to  the  shelter  of  the  citadel. 
Elphinstone  in  his  report  says  that  he  received  the  news  at 
half -past  seven  that  the  town  was  in  a  ferment,  and  shortly 
after  the  envoy  came  and  told  him  that  it  was  in  a  state 
of  insurrection,  but  that  he  did  not  think  much  of  it,  and 
expected  the  revolt  would  shortly  subside.  Macnaghten  sug- 
gested that  Brigadier  Shelton's  force  should  proceed  to  the 
Bala  Hissar  to  operate  as  might  seem  expedient,  while  the 
remaining  force  was  concentrated  in  the  cantonment,  and 
assistance  if  possible  sent  to  Sir  Alexander  Burnes. 

It  was  not,  however,  until  between  nine  and  ten  that 
Shelton  received  his  orders;  and  almost  directly  afterwards 
another  note  arrived  telling  him  not  to  move,  as  the  Ameer 
had  objected.  To  this  Shelton  replied  that  in  an  insurrec- 

(M807)  P 


226  TO  HERAT  AND  CABUL 

tion  of  the  city  there  was  no  time  for  indecision,  and  recom- 
mended the  general  at  once  to  resolve  upon  what  measures 
he  would  adopt.  He  was  then  told  to  march  immediately 
to  the  Bala  Hissar,  where  he  would  receive  further  instruc- 
tions from  Macnaghten.  Just  as  he  was  marching  off,  a 
note  came  from  this  officer  telling  him  to  halt  for  further 
orders.  He  sent  an  engineer  to  ask  the  reason  for  this  order, 
but  the  officer  was  cut  down  by  an  Afghan  while  dismount- 
ing just  outside  the  square  where  the  Ameer  was  sitting. 
Soon  after  this  the  military  secretary  himself  came  with 
orders  for  him  to  enter  the  citadel.  When  he  arrived  there, 
the  Ameer  asked  him  who  sent  him  and  what  he  came  there 
for,  and  he  was  forbidden  to  enter  the  town.  All  that  he 
could  do  was  to  cover  the  retreat  of  the  Ameer's  Hindoostanea 
troops.  In  consequence  of  all  these  delays,  it  was  twelve 
o'clock  before  Shelton  moved  into  the  Bala  Hissar,  by  which 
time  Burnes  and  his  friends  had  been  murdered  and  the  riot 
had  spread.  Houses  were  burned,  shops  sacked,  and  the 
families  of  several  British  officers  massacred. 

It  is  certain  that  had  the  slightest  energy  been  shown, 
and  had  a  small  body  of  troops  been  despatched  when 
Burnes's  first  request  for  help  arrived,  the  riot  would  have 
been  nipped  in  the  bud,  for  all  accounts  agree  that  for  a 
considerable  time  not  more  than  three  hundred  men  took 
part  in  the  attack,  and  even  when  Shelton  urged  the  neces- 
sity for  prompt  measures  Burnes  might  have  been  saved. 
Except  in  the  case  of  the  rising  at  Meerut  in  the  Indian 
Mutiny,  never  did  such  disastrous  effects  result  from  the 
incompetence  of  a  British  general. 

The  day  passed  slowly  to  Angus.  It  was  maddening  to 
be  helpless  when  great  events  were  happening.  Until  it 
became  quite  dark  no  one  came  near  them,  but  at  seven 
o'clock  they  heard  the  bolt  of  the  door  withdrawn,  and  a 


THE  MUBDEB  OF  SIB  A.  BUBNES  227 

man  entered  with  a  torch,  by  whose  light  they  at  once  rec- 
ognized Hassan,  their  guide  over  the  passes. 

"  You  here,  Hassan !  "  Angus  exclaimed.  "  I  had  always 
thought  of  you  as  back  again  in  your  tower  near  Bamian. 
Is  it  you  who  has  thus  made  us  prisoners  ? " 

"  We  Were  sorry  to  use  force,  effendi,  but  there  was  no 
other  way.  Sadut  Khan  charged  us  to  look  after  your 
safety,  and  we  have  kept  you  in  sight  for  some  days.  He 
was  living  in  this  house  in  disguise.  He  was  absent  yester- 
day evening  to  take  part  in  the  conference  with  the  other 
chiefs,  and  did  not  return  until  after  midnight.  Then  he 
said,  '  There  will  be  a  tumult  in  the  city  to-morrow,  Has- 
san, and  probably  the  house  of  the  officer  Burnes  will  be 
attacked.  What  will  come  of  it  I  do  not  know.  I  myself 
and  the  other  chiefs  are  leaving  at  once,  so  that  if  things 
go  badly  we  can  disavow  any  connection  with  the  affair. 
The  young  officer,  my  friend,  is,  as  you  know,  at  Burnes's 
house.  He  must  be  rescued.  Prepare  this  room  for  him. 
If  he  leaves  the  house  before  the  attack  begins,  you  must 
seize  him  and  carry  him  in  here.  If  his  servant  is  with 
him,  bring  him  also;  he  too  must  be  saved.  He  waited  on 
me  kindly,  and  did  all  in  his  power  for  me.  If  he  should 
not  leave  the  house,  then  you  and  your  followers  must  join 
the  mob  and  keep  together,  forcing  yourselves  to  the  front, 
so  that  you  will  be  the  first  to  enter  the  house.  Take  long 
cloaks  to  throw  round  them,  and  get  them  out,  even  at  the 
cost  of  your  lives.' 

"  I  told  him  that  it  should  be  done.  You  saved  his  life, 
and  you  also  saved  ours,  for  we  should  have  been  suffocated 
in  the  snow-storm  had  you  not  cut  your  way  out  and  come 
to  our  rescue.  So  it  has  been  done.  We  were  glad  indeed 
when  we  saw  you  come  out.  Had  you  not  turned  down 
that  lane,  I  should  have  come  up  and  accosted  you,  and, 


228  TO  HERAT  AND  CABUL 

telling  you  that  I  had  an  important  message  to  deliver  to 
you,  should  have  asked  you  to  come  with  me  to  a  quiet  spot, 
where  I  might  deliver  it  safely.  As  it  was,  directly  you 
turned  down,  we  ran  round,  and,  as  you  know,  captured  you 
without  noise  and  without  being  observed  by  you.  You  will, 
I  trust,  pardon  me  for  having  laid  hands  on  you;  but  I  had 
orders  from  the  Khan,  who  told  me  that  I  should  have  to 
use  force,  as  he  was  sure  you  would  not,  however  great  the 
danger,  he  persuaded  to  leave  Burnes." 

"What  has  happened?" 

"  The  Englishman  and  two  others  with  him  have  been 
killed.  One  of  the  Ameer's  regiments  entered  the  town,  but 
was  driven  back.  There  is  looting  going  on  everywhere. 
Many  have  been  killed,  and  many  houses  burnt." 

"  But  what  is  our  army  doing  ? " 

"  Nothing.  There  is  a  force  at  the  Bala  Hissar,  the  rest 
are  under  arms  in  their  camp." 

"  It  seems  impossible !  "  Angus  exclaimed.  "  However," 
he  went  on,  stifling  his  indignation  for  the  time,  "  I  have  to 
thank  you  deeply,  Hassan,  you  and  Sadut  Khan,  for  having 
saved  our  lives.  Assuredly  you  took  the  only  way  to  do 
so;  for  had  you  only  told  me  of  the  danger  that  threatened 
Sir  Alexander  Burnes,  I  should  have  returned  to  warn  him 
and  share  his  fate,  whatever  it  might  be.  As  it  was,  I 
cannot  blame  myself  that  I  was  absent.  I  thank  you  with 
all  my  heart.  Pray  tell  the  Khan  when  you  see  him  that  I 
am  deeply  grateful  to  him.  He  has  nobly  redeemed  his 
promise,  and  I  hope  some  day  to  thank  him  in  person." 

"  Now,  sahib,  we  will  start  at  once,"  Hassan  said.  "  I 
have  clothes  for  you  to  put  over  your  own,  and  there  is  no 
fear  of  our  being  suspected.  We  will  take  you  to  within 
shot  of  your  camp." 

He  called  out,  and  his  four  men  entered,  bringing  with 
them  Afghan  disguises.  When  these  were  put  on,  they  sallied 


THE  MURDER  OF  SIR  A.  BURNES         229 

out  at  once.  The  five  men  were  fully  armed,  and  long 
Afghan  guns  were  given  to  Angus  and  Azim.  The  streets 
were  full  of  people,  for  the  most  part  in  a  state  of  wild 
excitement,  though  the  better  class  looked  grave  at  the  pros- 
pect of  the  retribution  that  would  probably  fall  upon  the 
city,  perhaps  to-morrow  or  certainly  in  a  day  or  two.  None 
paid  any  attention  to  the  group,  who  differed  in  no  respect 
from  the  majority  of  those  around  them.  Issuing  from  one 
of  the  gates,  they  made  their  way  to  the  cantonments.  When 
within  a  few  hundred  yards  the  Afghans  stopped.  After  a 
hearty  farewell  and  renewed  thanks,  Angus  and  Azim  left 
them.  They  had  taken  off  their  disguises,  and  offered  them 
to  Hassan  to  carry  back,  but  he  said,  "You  had  best  keep 
them;  you  may  want  them  again.  There  is  no  saying  what 
may  happen."  And  they  accordingly  carried  them  with  them. 

In  a  short  time  they  were  challenged  by  a  sentry,  and 
halted  till  the  latter  had  called  a  sergeant  and  four  men. 
Then  they  went  forward.  Angus  was  recognized  at  once, 
as  he  was  known  by  sight  to  everyone  in  the  camp.  In  a 
short  time  they  met  an  officer,  who  told  them  the  news  of 
the  massacre  of  Burnes,  his  brother,  and  Broadfoot,  and 
their  guard,  which  was  already  known,  as  one  man  had 
escaped  the  general  slaughter,  and  had,  after  hiding  for 
some  hours,  come  into  the  camp.  Angus  went  at  once  to 
Macnaghten's  house  and  sent  in  his  name.  The  envoy  came 
out  into  the  hall.  "  I  am  glad  to  see  that  you  have  escaped, 
Mr.  Campbell.  I  thought  that  all  had  perished,  though  your 
name  is  not  -specially  mentioned  as  among  the  victims." 

"  I  was  not  in  the  house,  sir,"  Angus  replied.  "  Sir  Alex- 
ander Burnos  had  sent  me  out  to  gather  information,  and  I 
and  my  servant  were  suddenly  seized  and  carried  into  a 
house,  where  we  were  kept  as  prisoners  all  day.  After  it  was 
dark  we  made  our  escape,  having  obtained  disguises  from  a 
friendly  Afghan." 


230  TO  HEKAT  AND  OABUL 

"  Well,  I  am  glad,"  Macnaghten  said ;  "  but  you  must 
excuse  me  now,  for  the  general  is  here,  and  we  are  holding 
a  council.  You  had  better  for  to-night  take  up  your  quarters 
in  poor  Burnes's  tent.  I  shall  have  time  to  attend  to  mat- 
ters to-morrow." 

Although  Burnes  had  his  residence  in  the  city,  he  had  a 
large  tent  not  far  from  the  envoy's  house.  This  he  occupied 
when  he  had  business  in  camp,  and  it  was  here  that  he  re- 
ceived natives  who  brought  him  news,  or  who  had  grievances 
that  they  wished  to  report  to  him.  Here  Angus  lay  down 
for  the  night,  with  a  deep  feeling  of  thankfulness  that  his 
life  had  been  spared,  mingled  with  a  foreboding  that  the 
troubles  had  only  begun,  and  that  there  was  yet  much  peril 
in  store  before  the  army  were  safely  out  of  Afghanistan. 

In  the  morning  Angus  again  went  up  to  the  envoy's.  "  I 
have  been  thinking,  Mr.  Campbell,"  Macnaghten  said  when 
he  entered,  "  as  far  as  I  have  been  able  to  think  on  any  one 
subject,  how  your  services  can  be  best  utilized  temporarily. 
I  think  that,  if  you  would  not  mind,  you  might  be  attached 
to  the  commissariat,  and  assist  Captain  Boyd  and  Captain 
Johnson." 

"I  will  gladly  do  so,  sir,"  Angus  said.  "I  will  take  up 
the  work  at  once." 

"  Anticipating  your  consent,  I  have  already  written  a 
letter  for  you  to  take  to  those  officers." 

Glad  to  have  work  before  him,  Angus  went  at  once  to 
the  commissariat  camp.  The  two  officers  were  at  breakfast. 
Both  rose  and  congratulated  him  heartily  on  his  escape. 
"  How  on  earth  did  you  manage  it  ? " 

He  gave  as  brief  an  account  as  he  had  done  to  j3ir  William 
Macnaghten,  and  then  handed  them  the  letter  he  had  re- 
ceived from  the  envoy.  "  That  is  good  news,"  Captain  John- 
son said  heartily.  "  We  shall  be  glad  indeed  to  have  your 
aid.  I  will  have  a  tent  pitched  for  you  at  once  by  the  side 


THE  MURDER  OF  SIR  A.  BURNES  231 

of  ours.  Of  course  you  have  not  breakfasted.  Sit  down 
with  us.  What  do  you  think  of  the  state  of  affairs?  You 
know  a  good  deal  more  than  we  do  of  the  disposition  of  the 
Afghan  chiefs." 

"  I  think  things  look  very  bad,"  Angus  said  gravely.  "  After 
what  seems  to  me  the  imbecility  shown  yesterday,  to  which 
the  death  of  my  chief  is  due,  it  is  impossible  to  feel  any- 
thing" like  confidence  in  the  general." 

"  That  is  the  universal  feeling  in  camp,"  Captain  John- 
son said.  "  If  we  had  Sale  here  I  believe  everything  would 
go  right,  but  poor  Elphinstone  is  only  fit  for  a  snug  arm- 
chair in  a  comfortable  club.  He  is  no  more  able  to  cope 
with  a  crisis  like  this  than  an  old  woman  would  be.  In 
fact,  for  choice  I  would  take  the  average  old  woman. 

"  Orders  have  been  given  for  an  attack  upon  the  town  to- 
day, but  it  is  more  than  likely  that  it  will  be  counter- 
manded. If  Elphinstone  can  make  up  his  mind  to  throw  his 
whole  force,  with  the  exception  of  a  strong  camp  guard, 
against  the  city,  we  should  certainly  carry  it.  No  doubt 
there  might  be  a  considerable  loss  of  life,  but  that  could  not 
be  helped.  It  would  certainly  be  successful.  Then  I  should 
say  we  ought  to  turn  the  whole  of  the  Afghan  population 
out  of  the  town,  move  all  our  provisions  and  stores  there, 
and  settle  down  for  the  winter.  We  could  beat  off  any  attack 
that  the  Afghans  could  make  against  us.  As  it  is,  we  are 
terribly  anxious  about  the  stores.  You  know  that  I  originally 
established  all  the  magazines  for  the  Ameer's  army  in  the 
Bala  Hissar.  Then  Macnaghten  came  up  with  the  Ameer 
from  Jellalabad,  and  he  told  me  that  the  Ameer  objected  to 
the  magazines  being1  there.  That  was  quite  enough  for 
Macnaghten.  He  always  gives  in  to  the  Ameer's  wishes, 
however  ridiculous.  So  we  had  to  leave  the  storehouses  I 
had  built  and  move  out  bag  and  baggage. 

"The  only  place  that  I  could  get  was  the  camel  sheds 


232  TO  HERAT  AND  CABUL 

half-way  between  this  and  the  town,  and  unless  a  strong 
garrison  is  sent  down  there  the  Afghans  are  certain  to  take 
possession  of  them.  But  Boyd's  stores  are  even  more  im- 
portant. They  are  within  four  hundred  yards  of  the  de- 
fences of  the  camp,  and  contain  all  our  grain,  our  hospital 
stores,  our  wine  and  beer,  our  sugar,  and  everything  else. 
And  if  his  stores  and  mine  are  both  lost,  we  shall  have 
starvation  staring  us  in  the  face  at  the  end  of  a  week.  Just 
look  out  over  the  plain.  Since  daylight  there  has  been  a 
steady  stream  of  men  from  the  hills,  and  from  all  the  villages 
round,  flocking  into  the  city;  they  have  heard  of  the  capture 
of  my  treasury,  and  are  eager  to  share  in  the  looting.  If 
they  succeed  in  capturing  the  stores  and  provisions,  God 
help  us  all." 


CHAPTEE  XIV 

A  SERIES  OP  BLUNDERS 

NUMEROUS  as  had  been  the  blunders,  and  great  the 
mismanagement  up  to  the  2nd  of  November,  matters 
might  yet  have  been  retrieved  had  the  conduct  of  affairs  been 
in  resolute  and  energetic  hands.  Macnaghten  was  personally 
a  brave  and  fearless  man.  Had  he  at  last  felt  the  necessity 
for  strong  measures,  an  attack  upon  the  city  would  certainly 
have  been  attended  with  success.  Now  that  the  first  burst 
of  hate  and  passion  had  passed,  the  inhabitants  were  filled 
with  apprehension  at  the  punishment  that  would  fall  upon 
them,  and  none  doubted  that  the  British  army  would  at 
once  attack  the  town.  The  army  itself  expected  this,  and, 
furious  at  the  treacherous  massacre  of  Sir  Alexander  Burnes 
and  his  comrades,  were  burning  for  the  order  to  attack. 
The  troops  were  under  arms  early,  but  no  orders  were 


A  SERIES  OF  BLUNDERS  233 

issued  for  a  forward  movement.  Some  hours  later  the  35th 
regiment  of  Native  Infantry,  with  two  mountain  guns,  came 
in  from  Khoord  Cabul,  having  brushed  aside  the  opposi- 
tion it  had  met  with  on  its  march.  With  this  valuable  addi- 
tion to  the  fighting  strength  in  the  camp  all  opposition 
could  have  been  easily  overcome,  and  yet  until  three  o'clock 
in  the  afternoon  nothing  whatever  was  done.  By  this  time 
what  could  have  been  effected  with  comparative  ease  in  the 
early  morning  had  become  a  far  more  difficult  operation. 
Vast  numbers  of  the  tribesmen  had  been  pouring  into  the 
city  since  daybreak,  and  the  two  miles  of  plain  between 
the  camp  and  the  city,  which  earlier  in  the  day  could  have 
been  traversed  without  a  shot  being  fired,  were  now  covered 
by  a  host  of  fierce  enemies;  and  yet,  after  wasting  so  many 
valuable  hours,  the  general,  instead  of  throwing  the  whole 
of  the  force  in  the  cantonments,  and  that  of  Brigadier  Shel- 
ton  at  the  Bala  Hissar,  against  the  city,  sent  only  three 
companies  of  infantry  and  two  guns  to  the  attack. 

Naturally  this  handful  of  men  failed;  and  it  was  well 
for  them  that  they  did  not  penetrate  into  the  city,  for 
had  they  done  so  they  would  assuredly  have  been  over- 
whelmed before  they  had  gone  fifty  yards.  However,  the 
officer  in  command,  seeing  the  impossibility  of  the  task  set 
him,  withdrew  his  detachment  in  good  order.  The  result 
of  the  day's  operation,  if  it  could  be  so  called,  was  dis- 
astrous, the  troops,  who  had  until  then  been  eager  to  be  led 
against  the  enemy,  and  confident  of  success,  were  irritated 
and  dispirited,  and  lost  all  confidence  in  their  commander; 
while,  on  the  other  hand,  the  Afghans  were  jubilant  over 
what  they  considered  the  cowardice  of  the  enemy.  The 
next  day  the  misfortune  invited  by  the  passive  attitude  of 
our  troops  happened.  Only  eighty  men  were  in  charge  of 
the  commissariat  fort.  The  little  party  were  commanded 
by  Lieutenant  Warren.  Early  in  the  day  a  threatening 


234  TO  HERAT  AND  CABUL 

force  of  the  enemy  approached,  and  Warren  sent  a  messenger 
urgently  asking  for  reinforcements. 

But  the  Afghans  had  already  occupied  an  old  fort  that 
commanded  the  road  between  the  camp  and  the  commis- 
sariat fort.  Considering  the  enormous  importance  of  the 
stores,  an  overwhelming1  force  should  have  been  sent  out  to 
drive  off  the  assailants,  and  to  occupy  the  fort  in  such 
strength  that  it  could  be  held  against  any  assault.  Instead 
of  doing  this,  two  companies  only  of  the  44th  Regiment 
were  sent.  The  two  captains  in  command  were  killed  by 
the  fire  from  the  Afghan  fort,  other  officers  were  wounded, 
and  the  men  fell  so  fast  that  the  officer  who  was  senior  in 
command,  seeing  the  impossibility  of  reaching  the  store, 
drew  them  off.  Then  an  order  was  issued — which  was  prac- 
tically the  death-warrant  of  the  army — by  General  Elphip- 
stone,  for  a  party  of  cavalry  to  go  out  and  bring  in  the 
little  garrison.  This  party  suffered  even  more  severely  than 
the  preceding  one.  From  every  wall,  building,  and  orchard 
a  storm  of  musketry  broke  out,  and  the  troopers,  after  suf- 
fering great  loss,  again  retired.  The  news  that  the  general 
intended  to  abandon  the  store  struck  dismay  into  the  officers 
of  the  commissariat.  Captain  Boyd  hurried  to  head-quarters, 
and  urged  the  general  to  send  a  force  that  would  sweep  away 
all  opposition,  and  to  hold  the  fort  at  all  hazards.  The  gen- 
eral promised  to  send  a  reinforcement,  but  no  relief  was  sent. 

As  night  was  coming  on,  Captain  Boyd  and  Captain  John- 
son again  went  to  the  general  and  pointed  out  in  the  strong- 
est language  the  result  that  would  follow  the  abandonment 
of  the  stores.  The  unhappy  old  man  hesitated,  but  on  a 
letter  being  brought  in  from  Lieutenant  Warren  saying  that 
the  enemy  were  mining  the  walls,  and  some  of  the  Sepoys, 
seeing  their  position  was  desperate,  were  deserting,  he  prom- 
ised that  a  strong  detachment  should  be  send  at  two  o'clock 
in  the  morning  to  storm  the  Afghan  fort  and  relieve  the 


A  SERIES  OF  BLUNDERS  235 

guard  at  the  commissariat  stores.  Orders  were  accordingly 
issued,  but  these  were  presently  countermanded,  and  it  was 
decided  that  the  force  should  not  move  until  daylight. 

By  that  time  it  was  too  late.  Warren  had  repulsed  an 
attack  on  the  walls,  but  seeing  that  the  enemy  were  pre- 
paring to  fire  the  gate  and  renew  the  attack,  he  retired 
through  a  passage  that  had  on  the  previous  day  been  dug 
under  the  wall,  and  reached  the  camp  in  safety.  But  this 
was  not  the  only  disaster  that  happened  that  day.  Captain 
Johnson's  store  of  provisions  for  the  use  of  the  Ameer'3 
troops,  on  the  outskirts  of  the  city,  was  also  attacked.  Cap- 
tain Mackenzie,  who  was  in  command  of  the  little  garrison 
there,  defended  his  post  throughout  the  day  with  the  greatest 
gallantry;  but  water  was  scarce,  and  ammunition  failing, 
and  large  numbers  of  women  and  children  were  in  the  fort, 
with  great  quantities  of  baggage.  Urgent  letters  were  sent 
asking  for  reinforcements,  but  no  reinforcements  came.  Had 
they  arrived  the  situation  would  have  been  saved.  The  Kuz- 
zilbashes  were  ready  to  side  with  the  British.  Several  of 
their  commanders  were  with  Mackenzie,  but  when  they  saw 
that  no  help  was  sent,  they  refused  to  join  a  cause  that 
seemed  to  them  lost.  All  night  the  fighting  went  on,  and 
all  next  day,  until  his  men  were  utterly  worn  out,  and  the 
ammunition  exhausted.  No  more  could  be  done,  and  when 
night  came  on,  he  moved  out  of  the  fort  and  fought  his  way 
to  the  cantonments — a  brilliant  action,  which  showed  what 
could  be  accomplished  by  a  mere  handful  of  men  well  led. 

While  Mackenzie  was  thus  fighting  for  the  stores  under 
his  charge,  the  troops  in  the  cantonments  were  condemned 
to  see  crowds  of  Afghans  looting  the  stores  within  four 
hundred  yards  of  our  camp,  carrying  off  the  supplies  that 
had  been  garnered  for  their  subsistence  through  the  winter, 
and  this  without  a  man  being  set  in  motion  or  a  gun  brought 
to  bear  upon  the  plunderers. 


236  TO  HERAT  AND  CABUL 

Furious  at  the  imbecility  of  their  leaders,  the  soldiers 
clamoured  to  be  led  against  the  enemy.  Unable  to  resist 
the  demand,  the  general  ordered  the  37th  Native  Infantry 
to  move  out;  but  instead  of  being  led  straight  against  the 
enemy,  the  officer  in  command  hesitated  and  halted,  and 
soon  fell  back  with  the  indignant  Sepoys. 

General  Elphinstone  was  already  talking  of  making  terms 
with  the  enemy,  and  seemed  to  despair  of  victory  when  no 
attempt  had  been  made  to  gain  a  success.  On  the  6th,  how- 
ever, a  party  of  the  37th  were  again  sent  out  under  Major 
Griffiths.  Again  it  was  seen  what  could  be  done  by  an  ener- 
getic officer.  The  Afghan  fort  was  stormed,  the  enemy  were 
driven  out,  and  were  routed  by  a  party  of  horse,  who  dashed 
at  them  gallantly.  The  troops  could  be  no  longer  restrained, 
and  cavalry,  infantry,  and  artillery  poured  out;  but  there 
was  no  general  plan,  and  the  consequence  was,  that  although 
desultory  fighting  went  on  all  day,  nothing  was  accomplished. 
Had  any  general  plan  of  operation  been  laid  down,  and  a 
combined  action  fought,  the  enemy  would  have  been  utterly 
unable  to  withstand  our  troops,  worked  up  to  fury  as  these 
were  by  the  disgraceful  inaction  that  had  been  forced  upon 
them.  In  the  meantime,  starvation  would  have  already  stared 
the  troops  in  the  face  had  not  Captains  Boyd  and  Johnson, 
aided  by  Angus  and  other  officers  of  their  department,  gone 
out  to  the  native  villages  and  succeeded  in  purchasing  a 
certain  amount  of  grain.  But  already  the  troops  were  on 
half  rations,  and  even  these  scanty  supplies  could  not  long 
be  available. 

The  general,  while  his  troops  were  out  fighting,  wrote  to 
Macnaghten,  urging  that  negotiations  should  be  opened 
with  the  enemy,  and  saying,  "  Our  case  is  not  yet  desperate, 
but  it  is  becoming  so  very  fast." 

Macnaghten  himself  was  conscious  of  this,  conscious  that, 
under  such  leading,  the  situation  was  fast  becoming  desper- 


A  SERIES  OF  BLUNDERS  237 

ate,  and  he  employed  the  moonshee,  Mohun  Lai,  who  was 
still  in  Cabul  under  the  protection  of  the  Kuzzilbash  chief, 
to  endeavour  to  bribe  the  chiefs  of  the  Ghilzyes.  Two  lacs 
of  rupees  were  offered.  The  chiefs  gave  a  favourable  reply, 
and  then  Macnaghten,  with  his  usual  instability,  was  seized 
with  a  suspicion  that  they  were  not  sincere,  and  abruptly 
broke  off  the  negotiations,  thereby  mortally  offending  the 
Ghikye  chiefs. 

Fresh  danger  was  threatening  in  another  direction.  Ma- 
homed Akbar  Khan,  the  second  son  of  Dost  Mahomed,  was 
on  his  way  with  a  force  from  the  north,  and  had  already 
advanced  as  far  as  Bamian.  Mohun  Lai  suggested  that  an 
emissary  should  be  sent  to  offer  him  a  large  allowance  if  he 
would  join  the  British.  His  suggestion  was  carried  out,  and 
money  was  spent  in  other  quarters  lavishly. 

But  it  was  now  too  late.  A  quarter  of  the  sum  would, 
a  fortnight  earlier,  have  sufficed  to  satisfy  the  demands  of 
all  the  chiefs  of  the  tribesmen.  Now  that  success  had  en- 
couraged the  assailants  of  our  force,  and  the  whole  popula- 
tion had  taken  up  arms  against  us,  inspired  alike  by  fan- 
aticism and  hatred  and  thirsting  for  blood,  it  was  doubtful 
whether  even  the  chiefs  could  restrain  them  had  they  chosen 
to  do  so. 

In  their  letters  and  journals  the  officers  still  spoke  with 
kindness  and  respect  of  their  unfortunate  general.  He  had 
been  a  brave  and  able  soldier,  but  age  and  terrible  infirmi- 
ties had  rendered  him  altogether  incapacitated  for  action. 
He  had  for  months  been  suffering  from  gout,  and  had  almost 
lost  the  use  of  his  limbs.  Only  once  or  twice,  after  his  ar- 
rival to  assume  the  command,  had  he  been  able  to  sit  on 
horseback;  for  the  most  part  he  was  wholly  unable  to  walk. 
Sometimes  he  was  confined  altogether  to  his  couch;  at  others 
he  was  able  to  be  taken  out  in  a  palanquin.  His  mind  was 
also  enfeebled  by  suffering.  On  the  very  day  of  the  first 


238  TO  HERAT  AND  CABUL 

outbreak  he  had  been  a  little  better,  and  had  mounted  his 
horse;  but  he  had  suffered  a  very  severe  fall,  and  was  car- 
ried back  to  his  quarters. 

It  was  altogether  inexcusable  that  Lord  Auckland,  against 
the  advice  of  the  commander-in-chief  and  the  remonstrances 
of  his  other  military  advisers,  should  have  appointed  such 
a  man  to  a  command  which,  beyond  all  others  in  India,  de- 
manded the  greatest  amount  of  energy  and  activity.  There 
were  many  men  who  might  have  been  worthily  selected,  men 
with  a  knowledge  of  the  political  conditions  of  Afghanistan, 
of  the  feelings  of  the  people,  of  their  language  and  of  their 
country. 

General  Elphinstone  knew  nothing  of  these  things,  and 
depended  entirely  upon  the  advice  of  others.  Had  he  relied 
solely  upon  that  of  Macnaghten,  things  might  have  gone 
differently,  but  he  asked  advice  from  all  around  him,  and 
took  the  last  that  was  offered,  only  to  change  his  mind  again 
when  he  heard  the  opinion  of  a  fresh  counsellor.  He  was 
himself  conscious  that  the  position  was  too  onerous  for  him, 
and  sent  down  a  medical  certificate  of  his  incapacity  for 
action,  and  requested  to  be  relieved.  The  request  had  been 
granted,  and  he  was  to  have  returned  to  India  with  Mac- 
naghten, but  unhappily  no  other  officer  had  been  appointed 
to  succeed  him.  It  is  upon  Lord  Auckland,  rather  than  upon 
the  unfortunate  officer,  who,  in  the  teeth  of  the  advice  of 
his  counsellors  and  of  all  common  sense,  was  thrust  into  a 
position  for  which  he  was  wholly  unsuited,  that  the  blame 
of  the  catastrophe  of  Cabul  should  be  laid. 

Macnaghten,  in  hopes  that  Brig'adier  Shelton,  a  brave 
officer,  but  hot-tempered  and  obstinate,  would  be  able  to  influ- 
ence the  general  and  to  put  an  end  to  the  deplorable  indecision 
that  paralysed  the  army,  persuaded  Elphinstone  to  send  for 
him  to  come  in  from  the  Bala  Hissar  to  the  camp  and  bring 
in  with  him  a  regiment  of  the  Ameer's  troops.  He  came 


A  SERIES  OF  BLUNDERS  239 

into  the  cantonment  of  the  9th,  and  his  arrival  was  hailed 
with  the  greatest  satisfaction,  as  it  was  believed  that  at  last 
something  would  be  done.  Unfortunately,  however,  Shelton's 
energy  and  the  general's  weakness  were  as  oil  on  water.  No 
two  men  were  less  calculated  to  pull  together.  Shelton  en- 
forced his  arguments  with  a  vehemence  that  seemed  to  the 
general  insubordinate  in  the  extreme;  while  the  brigadier, 
on  the  other  hand,  was  unable  to  make  allowance  for  the 
physical  and  mental  weakness  of  the  general,  and  was  mad- 
dened by  the  manner  in  which  orders  that  had  but  an  hour 
before  been  issued  were  countermanded. 

On  the  morning  of  the  10th  the  enemy  mustered  in  great 
force,  and  occupying  a  small  fort  within  musket-shot  of 
the  defences,  opened  a  galling  fire.  Macnaghten  only  ob- 
tained the  general's  consent  to  a  party  going  out  to  capture 
the  fort  by  telling  him  that  unless  he  gave  the  order  he 
should  himself  take  the  responsibility  of  doing  so,  for  that  at 
any  risk  the  fort  must  be  captured.  Thereupon  Shelton  was 
instructed  to  take  two  thousand  men  and  attack  it.  When 
they  were  on  the  point  of  starting  Elphinstone  counter- 
manded the  orders.  Shelton,  in  a  fury,  laid  the  case  before 
the  envoy,  who  was  as  eager  as  himself,  and  the  general  was 
again  persuaded  to  give  the  order  and  the  force  advanced. 

It  was  intended  to  blow  open  the  gate  with  powder,  but 
by  some  accident  only  a  wicket  by  the  side  of  the  main 
entrance  was  blown  in.  Led  by  Colonel  Mackrell  the  storm- 
ing party,  consisting  of  two  companies  of  Europeans  and 
four  of  native  infantry,  advanced.  They  could  with  diffi- 
culty make  their  way  through  the  narrow  entrance,  for  they 
were  exposed  as  they  did  so  to  a  heavy  musketry  fire,  but 
two  officers  and  a  few  soldiers  pushed  through,  and  the 
garrison,  believing  that  the  whole  column  was  following 
them,  fled  through  the  opposite  gate.  But  unhappily  they 
were  not  followed.  A  body  of  Afghan  cavalry  threatened 


240  TO  HERAT  AND  CABUL 

to  attack  the  storming  party  outside,  and  these,  native  and 
British  alike,  were  seized  with  an  unaccountable  panic  and 
fled.  In  vain  their  officers  endeavoured  to  arrest  their  flight. 
The  events  of  the  previous  week  had  terribly  demoralized 
them.  Shelton  set  them  a  noble  example  by  remaining  on 
horseback  alone,  and  at  last  shamed  them  into  returning. 
Again  the  Afghan  horse  approached,  and  again  they  fled. 
Again  Shelton's  expostulations  and  example  brought  them 
back.  The  guns  in  the  cantonments  drove  the  Afghans  off, 
and  Shelton  led  his  men  up  to  the  capture  of  the  fort. 

In  the  meantime  the  handful  of  men  who  had  entered  the 
fort  had  been  engaged  in  a  desperate  struggle  for  life.  The 
Afghans,  discovering  how  small  was  the  number  of  their  as- 
sailants, re-entered  the  fort  and  fell  upon  them  in  over- 
whelming numbers.  When  Shelton's  force  entered,  Colonel 
Mackrell  had  fallen  mortally  wounded,  and  was  carried  into 
the  cantonments  to  die.  Lieutenant  Bird,  with  two  Sepoys, 
were  the  sole  survivors.  They  had,  when  the  enemy  poured 
in,  taken  possession  of  a  stable  and  barricaded  themselves 
there,  and  had  successfully  repulsed  every  attack.  When 
they  were  rescued  their  ammunition  was  almost  exhausted, 
but  they  were  uninjured,  and  no  fewer  than  thirty  dead 
Afghans  lying  in  front  of  the  stable  bore  mute  testimony 
to  the  steadiness  and  accuracy  of  their  aim. 

Several  small  forts  were  abandoned  by  the  enemy,  and  a 
quantity  of  grain  was  found  in  them,  but  as  no  measures 
were  taken  to  convey  it  into  the  camp,  it  was  lost  again 
when  the  troops  retired.  Desultory  fighting  went  on  all  the 
afternoon  without  any  decisive  results,  and  the  next  two  or 
three  days  passed  quietly. 

In  the  meantime  the  moonshee  was  making  every  effort 
to  bring  over  some  of  the  chiefs  to  our  side.  Macnaghten 
was  sending  off  letter  after  letter  to  the  political  officer  with 
Sale,  urging  the  necessity  for  an  instant  advance  of  the  force 


A  SERIES  OF  BLUNDERS  241 

at  Jellalabad.  On  the  13th  the  enemy  occupied  a  hill  within 
range  of  the  cantonment,  and  planting  two  guns  there 
opened  a  steady  fire.  Macnaghten  spent  hours  in  endeavour- 
ing to  persuade  the  general  and  brigadier  of  the  absolute 
necessity  for  driving  the  enemy  off  the  hill,  but  without  suc- 
cess, and  it  was  not  until  he  took  the  responsibility  upon 
himself  that  a  detachment  under  Shelton  was  ordered  to  be 
sent.  It  was  then  four  o'clock  in  the  afternoon.  The  troops 
advanced  in  three  columns,  and  the  infantry  rushed  forward 
with  such  impetuosity  that  the  two  guns  with  them  could  not 
arrive  in  time  to  herald  their  attack.  The  detachment 
poured  in  a  volley  within  ten  yards'  distance,  but  they  were 
unsteady  from  their  exertions  in  mounting  the  hill,  and  their 
fire  took  no  effect.  A  minute  later  the  Afghan  cavalry 
charged  down  upon  them.  The  attack  was  unexpected,  the 
men  in  confusion,  and  the  Afghans  rode  through  and  through 
the  ranks.  The  British  troops  retreated  down  the  slope, 
where  they  re-formed  behind  the  reserve;  the  guns  opened 
fire  with  great  effect,  and  the  infantry  •ag'ain  marched  up 
the  hill. 

Our  cavalry  now  came  into  action  and  drove  the  enemy 
before  them.  The  infantry  carried  the  height,  and  the 
enemy  fled,  abandoning  their  guns.  It  was  now  getting 
dark.  A  party  of  the  Ameer's  infantry  removed  one  of  the 
guns;  but  the  Afghan  marksmen  were  keeping  up  a  heavy 
musketry  fire,  and  the  troops,  British  as  well  as  Sepoys,  were 
so  demoralized  that  they  refused  to  advance  and  carry  off 
the  other.  It  was  therefore  spiked  and  rolled  down  the  hill, 
while  the  smaller  gun  was  brought  by  the  Ameer's  troops 
into  the  cantonment.  The  enemy,  now  strongly  reinforced, 
attempted  to  intercept  the  retreat,  but  were  beaten  off. 

On  the  15th  Major  Pottinger  and  another  officer  came  in 
wounded,  and  reported  that  the  Ghoorka  regiment  that  had 
been  retiring  from  Kohistan  had  been  entirely  destroyed. 

(M807)  Q 


242  TO  HERAT  AND  CABUL 

They  defended  themselves  courageously  against  overwhelm- 
ing forces,  and  held  the  barracks  they  occupied  until  mad- 
dened by  thirst;  then  they  rushed  to  a  stream,  where  the 
enemy  fell  upon  them  and  cut  them  to  pieces,  the  two 
mounted  officers  alone  escaping  after  innumerable  dangers. 
On  the  17th  Macnaghten  heard  that  there  was  no  hope  what- 
ever of  assistance  from  Sale,  who  was  himself  surrounded 
with  difficulties.  He  now  urged  that  the  force  should  all 
retire  to  the  Bala  Hissar,  behind  whose  strong  walls  they 
could  have  maintained  themselves.  But  Shelton  vehemently 
opposed  the  step,  which  would  have  saved  the  army  from 
destruction,  urging  that  the  abandonment  of  the  canton- 
ments would  be  an  acknowledgment  of  defeat. 

On  the  23rd  of  November  the  enemy  again  appeared  on 
the  hill  from  which  they  had  been  driven,  and  a  strong  force 
moved  out  against  it.  Strangely  enough,  however,  they  only 
took  one  gun  with  them.  The  day  was  disgraceful  as  well 
as  disastrous,  for  the  British  force  was  signally  defeated 
and  the  gun  was  lost,  and  the  troops  re-entered  the  canton- 
ment in  headlong  flight,  hotly  pursued  by  the  Afghans  till 
they  reached  the  protection  of  the  earthworks.  Their  con- 
duct showed  how  completely  the  imbecility  and  vacillation 
of  their  commanders,  -and  the  effect  of  the  insufficient  rations 
on  which  they  had  to  subsist,  had  destroyed  the  moral  of  the 
troops.  The  men  who  a  month  before  could  have  driven  the 
Afghans  before  them  like  sheep,  were  now  unable  to  cope 
with  them  even  when  in  superior  numbers. 

On  the  24th  Elphinstone  addressed  a  letter  to  Macnaghten 
stating  his  opinion  that  their  position  could  no  longer  be 
maintained,  and  that  he  should  at  once  enter  into  negotia- 
tions with  the  enemy.  He  accordingly  sent  a  message  to  the 
insurgent  chiefs  inviting  them  to  send  in  a  deputation  to 
discuss  the  conditions  of  the  treaty.  Two  of  their  leaders 
came  in,  but  as  they  demanded  that  the  British  should  sur- 


A  SERIES  OF  BLUNDERS  243 

render  at  discretion,  giving  themselves  up,  with  all  their 
arms,  ammunition,  and  treasure,  as  prisoners  of  war,  Mac- 
naghten  resolutely  rejected  the  offered  terms. 

Angus  had  been  constantly  employed  from  the  day  he 
reached  the  cantonments.  His  work  was  to  go  out  with 
small  parties  of  the  natives  employed  by  the  commissariat 
to  bring  in  the  grain  that  Boyd  and  Johnson  had  purchased. 
There  was  no  slight  risk  in  the  work,  for  although  the  vil- 
lagers were  glad  to  sell  their  corn  on  good  terms,  the  party 
who  fetched  it  ran  the  risk  of  being  cut  off  by  any  band  of 
tribesmen  they  might  encounter. 

Of  an  evening  he  talked  over  the  situation  and  prospects 
with  the  two  officers.  Absorbed  in  work  as  they  all  were, 
they  were  less  influenced  by  the  feeling  of  hopelessness  than 
those  who  had  nothing  to  do  but  to  rage  over  the  trap  into 
which  they  had  fallen  through  the  incapacity  of  their  lead- 
ers. Still,  they  did  not  attempt  to  disguise  from  themselves 
the  magnitude  of  the  danger. 

"  I  have  no  faith  in  any  treaty  that  could  be  made,"  Boyd 
said.  "  An  Afghan  is  only  bound  by  his  word  as  long  as  it 
pays  him  to  keep  it.  They  will  take  Macnaghten's  money, 
and  will  promise  that  we  shall  be  allowed  to  go  down  the 
passes  without  molestation;  but  I  am  mistaken  indeed  if  we 
shall  not  be  attacked  the  moment  we  enter  them.  If  they  do 
so,  few  of  us  will  ever  get  through.  The  men  are  weak  now 
from  want  of  sufficient  food.  They  are  utterly  dispirited  and 
demoralized,  as  is  shown  by  their  shameful  flight  yesterday. 
Besides,  they  will  be  encumbered  with  a  host  of  camp  fol- 
lowers, women,  and  children.  I  am  still  of  opinion  that  our 
only  hope  is  to  take  refuge  in  the  Bala  Hissar,  and  Shelton's 
vehement  opposition  has  already  put  a  stop  to  that.  For 
myself,  I  would  rather  that  they  attacked  us  here,  even  if 
the  attack  meant  our  annihilation.  It  would  be  better  to 
die  so  than  cooped  up  hopelessly  in  the  passes.  At  best  the 


244  TO  HERAT  AND  CABUL 

march  would  be  a  terrible  one.  The  cold  is  severe  already, 
and  we  hear  that  the  snow  is  deep  in  the  passes;  not  so  deep 
as  to  render  them  impracticable,  but  deep  enough  to  render 
the  passage  a  terrible  one." 

"  Of  course  we  are  bound  to  stay  with  the  rest  and  do  our 
best  to  the  end.  Were  it  not  for  that,  we  three  might  escape. 
We  all  speak  the  language  well  enough  to  pass  as  natives. 
You,  indeed,  have  already  done  so.  However,  of  course  that 
is  not  to  be  thought  of;  indeed,  it  would  probably  amount  to 
the  same  thing  in  the  end,  for  we  could  scarcely  hope  to 
reach  either  Jellalabad  or  Candahar." 

"  No,  it  is  not  to  be  thought  of,  Johnson,"  his  companion 
said.  "  We  have  to  do  our  duty  to  the  last.  I  still  hope 
that  the  general  may  yet  have  an  hour  of  inspiration  and 
deliver  battle  in  good  order.  I  believe  that  the  troops  would 
fight  well  if  they  did  but  see  that  they  were  properly  handled." 

On  the  following  day  they  learned  that  Akbar  Khan  had 
arrived.  He  was  greeted  with  great  enthusiasm  and  much 
firing  of  guns.  Macnaghten  had  a  faint  hope  that  he  would 
side  with  us,  as  his  father,  mother,  and  brothers  were  in  our 
hands  in  India;  but,  on  the  other  hand,  he  had  every  reason 
for  bitter  animosity  against  the  British,  who  had,  without 
any  ground  for  complaint,  invaded  the  country  and  de- 
throned his  father.  The  prince  bore  the  reputation  of  being1 
frank,  generous,  and  far  brighter  and  more  cheerful  than 
the  majority  of  his  countrymen;  at  the  same  time  he  was 
passionate  and  impulsive,  given  to  sudden  bursts  of  anger. 
The  wrongs  that  he  and  his  family  had  suffered  were,  in- 
deed, at  present  predominant  in  his  mind.  For  two  years 
he  himself  had  been  an  exile  from  his  country.  His  father, 
who  had  tried  so  hard  to  gain  the  friendship  of  the  British, 
had  been  dethroned  by  them;  and  as  it  was  notorious  that 
their  captives  were  always  honourably  treated,  he  felt  that 
no  action  upon  his  part  would  recoil  upon  their  heads. 


A  SEEIES  OF  BLUNDERS  245 

He  himself  was  now  the  heir  to  the  throne  if  he  could 
win  it.  He  was  extremely  popular  among  the  people,  who 
hailed  his  advent  as  giving  them  a  leader  whom  they  could 
rely  upon,  under  whom  the  chiefs  of  the  tribesmen  could 
lay  aside  their  mutual  jealousy  and  animosity  and  join  in 
the  effort  to  drive  the  foe  for  ever  from  their  country.  He 
did  not,  however,  at  once  assume  the  chief  authority.  The 
Nawab  Mahomed  Zemaun  Khan,  a  cousin  of  Dost  Mahomed, 
had  been  proclaimed  Ameer  by  the  tribesmen,  and  all  orders 
were  sent  forth  in  his  name.  He  was  a  man  of  humane  and 
honourable  nature,  of  polished  manners,  and  affable  address. 

As  soon  as  he  learned  the  state  of  affairs,  Akbar  Khan 
took  immediate  steps  to  prevent  further  supplies  being  taken 
into  camp.  He  burned  the  villages  where  grain  had  been 
sold,  and  placed  bands  of  men  to  attack  any  parties  coming 
out  from  the  camp  to  purchase  grain.  Day  after  day  passed, 
messengers  came  and  went  between  Macnaghten  and  the 
Nawab,  but  nothing  was  done;  the  food  supply  dwindled; 
only  three  days'  rations  remained  in  camp. 

The  supplies  doled  out  were  scarcely  sufficient  to  keep  life 
together.  The  oxen  and  other  baggage  animals  were  in  such 
a  state  of  starvation  as  to  be  wholly  unfit  for  service.  The 
store  of  fuel  had  long  been  used  up,  some  men  died  of  cold, 
and  all  suffered  much.  Macnaghten  was  still  hopeful,  and 
early  in  December  again  urged  a  retirement,  but  in  vain. 
The  enemy  had  now  guns  planted  in  several  positions,  and 
kept  up  an  almost  constant  cannonade  on  the  camp.  On  the  8th 
there  were  but  three  days'  half  rations  left,  and  the  general 
informed  Macnaghten  by  letter  that  it  was  absolutely  neces- 
sary to  surrender  upon  the  best  terms  that  could  be  obtained; 
and  the  three  senior  officers  also  signed  the  letter,  saying 
that  they  concurred  in  it.  On  the  llth  there  was  but  one 
day's  food  left  for  the  fighting  men,  the  camp  followers  were 
Starving.  Again  and  again  Macnaghten  urged  that  a  force 


246  TO  HEEAT  AND  CABUL 

should  sally  out  and  at  all  costs  bring  in  provisions,  but  the 
general  knew  that  the  men  could  not  be  relied  upon  to  fight. 
The  time  had  come  when  even  Macnaghten  saw  that  all  hope 
had  gone  save  in  surrender.  He  drew  out  the  rough  draft 
of  a  treaty,  and  met  the  leading  chiefs  of  the  Afghans  at 
about  a  mile  from  the  river. 

By  this  treaty  the  British  were  to  evacuate  Afghanistan. 
They  were  to  be  supplied  with  provisions  for  the  journey, 
Shah  Soojah  was  to  abdicate,  and  to  have  the  option  of 
accompanying  them;  but  if  he  did  so,  his  wife  and  family 
were  to  remain  as  hostages  until  Dost  Mahomed  and  his 
family  were  released.  The  troops  at  Jellalabad  were  also  to 
retire,  as  well  as  those  at  Ghuznee  and  Candahar.  Four 
British  officers  were  to  be  left  as  hostages,  to  return  to  India 
on  the  arrival  of  Dost  Mahomed  and  his  family  on  the 
frontier.  The  conference  lasted  two  hours,  and  its  main 
stipulations  were  agreed  to.  The  meeting  then  broke  up, 
on  the  understanding  that  the  British  troops  were  to  evacu- 
ate the  cantonments  in  three  days,  and  that  provisions  should 
in  the  meantime  be  sent  in.  The  treaty  was  a  humiliating 
one,  but  Macnaghten  was  not  to  blame  for  it.  When  the 
three  military  chiefs  had  declared  that  there  was  nothing 
for  it  but  surrender,  he  was  forced  to  make  the  best  arrange- 
ment he  could,  and  the  terms  of  the  treaty  were  as  good  as 
could  have  been  expected  in  the  circumstances. 

When  the  conference  broke  up  Captain  Trevor,  one  of 
Macnaghten's  staff,  accompanied  the  chief  to  the  city  as  a 
hostage  for  the  sincerity  of  the  envoy.  On  the  llth  the 
Bala  Hissar  was  evacuated.  Akbar  Khan  pledged  himself 
to  conduct  the  garrison  safely  to  the  cantonments,  and  kept 
his  promise,  succeeding  in  inducing  the  crowds  of  horsemen 
who  gathered  round  to  let  the  little  detachment  pass.  The 
provisions,  however,  were  not  sent  in  as  agreed,  and  the 
chiefs  refused  to  send  them  until  the  garrisons  were  with- 


A  SERIES  OP  BLUNDERS  247 

drawn  from  the  forts  they  occupied  round  the  cantonments. 
The  parties  were  each  suspicious  of  the  other's  good  faith. 
On  the  18th  snow  began  to  fall  heavily.  Macnaghten  tried 
desperately  to  win  over  some  of  the  chiefs,  lavishing  money 
among  them.  The  Afghans  made  fresh  demands,  and  de- 
manded more  hostages,  and  Lieutenants  Conolly  and  Airey 
were  handed  over  to  them. 

On  the  22nd  Akbar  Khan  sent  in  fresh  proposals,  to  the 
effect  that  the  British  were  to  remain  in  Afghanistan  till 
the  spring,  and  then  to  withdraw  as  if  of  their  own  free-will. 
Shah  Soojah  was  to  remain  as  Ameer,  and  Akbar  as  his 
minister.  As  a  reward  for  these  services  Akbar  was  to  re- 
ceive an  annuity  of  £40,000  and  a  bonus  of  £300,000.  Mac- 
naghten accepted  the  terms,  and  agreed  to  meet  Akbar.  The 
offer  was  so  strange  that  Elphinstone  and  others  thought 
that  it  was  probably  a  plot.  Macnaghten  replied  that  he  did 
not  think  that  it  was  so,  but  in  any  case  he  would  go.  After 
breakfast  he  sent  for  the  officers  of  his  staff,  Lawrence,  Mac- 
kenzie, and  Trevor,  who  had  returned,  and  begged  them  to 
accompany  him  to  the  meeting.  An  hour  later  they  set  out 
with  a  few  horsemen.  As  they  rode  on  Macnaghten  admitted 
to  his  officers  that  he  was  well  aware  that  it  was. a  dangerous 
enterprise,  but  that  he  was  playing  for  a  heavy  stake  and 
the  prize  was  worth  the  risk.  "  At  all  events,"  he  said,  "  a 
thousand  deaths  are  preferable  to  the  life  I  have  of  late  been 
leading." 

The  parties  met  at  some  hillocks  six  hundred  yards  from 
the  cantonments,  where  some  horse-cloths  had  been  spread 
upon  the  snow  by  Akbar  Khan's  servants.  Macnaghten  pre- 
sented to  Akbar  a  splendid  horse  he  had  admired.  They  dis- 
mounted, and  Macnaghten  took  his  place  on  the  blankets. 
Trevor,  Mackenzie,  and  Lawrence  sat  behind  him.  Sud- 
denly the  envoy  and  his  companions  were  violently  seized 
from  behind.  The  three  officers  were  dragged  away,  and 


248  TO  HERAT  AND  OABUL 

each  compelled  to  mount  horses  ridden  by  Afghan  chiefs, 
who  rode  off  through  the  crowd.  Trevor  unfortunately 
slipped  from  his  insecure  seat,  and  was  instantly  cut  to 
pieces,  while  the  other  two  reached  Mahomed  Khan's  fort 
alive.  In  the  meantime  the  envoy  himself  was  struggling 
desperately  on  the  ground  with  Akbar  Khan.  Exasperated 
by  the  resistance  of  his  victim,  whom  he  had  only  intended 
to  seize,  the  Afghan's  passion  blazed  out,  and  drawing  from 
his  girdle  a  pistol,  which  Macnaghten  had  given  him  the 
day  before,  he  shot  him  through  the  body.  Instantly  his 
followers  closed  round  and  hacked  him  to  pieces. 

Thus  died  a  gentleman  who,  in  other  circumstances,  might 
have  made  a  great  reputation  for  himself.  Possessed  of  un- 
usual talent,  his  course  was  marred  by  his  propensity  to 
believe  all  that  he  wished,  to  disbelieve  all  that  ran  counter 
to  his  own  sanguine  projects.  During  the  last  month  of  his 
life  he  did  all  that  man  could  do  to  avert  a  catastrophe,  but 
he  had  been  unable  to  instil  his  spirit  into  any  of  the  mili- 
tary commanders,  or  to  induce  them  to  take  the  only  course 
to  redeem  the  position,  by  giving  battle  to  the  foe  that  sur- 
rounded them.  He  was  the  author  of  the  ill-fated  expedi- 
tion to  Afghanistan,  he  was  its  noblest  victim.  His  peculiar 
temperament  was  fatal  to  him.  Even  when  there  was  no 
longer  any  ground  for  hope  he  still  continued  to  be  sanguine. 
He  had  all  along  believed  in  himself,  and  scoffed  at  the 
warnings  of  men  who  knew  the  country  and  people — of 
Burnes,  Rawlinson,  Pottinger,  and  others. 

He  was  thoroughly  sincere;  he  was  always  able  to  con- 
vince himself  that  what  he  believed  must  be  true,  and  he 
acted  accordingly.  He  was  not  a  strong  man;  had  he  been 
so  the  course  of  events  might  have  been  altered.  He  deferred 
in  every  way  to  Shah  Soojah's  wishes,  however  much  these 
might  be  opposed  to  his  own  judgment.  He  allowed  him  to 
misgovern  the  country,  to  drive  the  natives  to  desperation 


A  DOOMED  ABMY  249 

by  the  exactions  of  his  tax-gatherers,  and  to  excite  the  bitter- 
est animosity  of  the  chiefs  by  the  arrogance  with  which  he 
treated  them.  A  strong  man  would  have  put  a  stop  to  all 
this — would  have  intimated  to  the  Ameer  that  he  held  the 
throne  solely  by  the  assistance  of  British  bayonets,  and  that 
unless  he  followed  British  counsels  he  would  at  once  yield 
to  the  oft-repeated  wishes  of  the  Indian  government  and 
order  the  retirement  of  the  troops. 


CHAPTEE  XV 

A    DOOMED    ARMY 

EVEN  the  murder  of  the  British  envoy  within  sight  of 
the  camp  failed  to  arouse  the  military  authorities  from 
their  deadly  lethargy.  Sullenly  the  troops  remained  in  their 
cantonments.  Not  a  man  was  put  in  motion  to  avenge  the 
deed  or  to  redeem  the  h6nour  of  the  army.  The  only  idea 
was  to  renew  the  negotiations  that  had  been  broken  short 
by  the  murder  of  their  political  chief.  The  commissariat 
had  nothing  to  do.  Beleaguered  as  they  were,  it  was  im- 
possible to  collect  provisions  unless  a  strong  force  was  sent 
out,  and  the  military  authorities  refused  to  allow  a  man  to 
be  put  in  motion.  They  had  no  confidence  in  their  soldiers, 
and  the  soldiers  had  none  in  them.  It  was  their  leaders  who 
had  made  them  what  they  were.  Macnaghten  in  his  wrath 
had  spoken  of  them  as  miserable  cowards,  but  they  were  not 
cowards.  They  had  at  first  full  confidence  in  themselves, 
and  if  ordered  would  gladly  have  attacked  the  Afghan  forces 
in  the  open  and  have  carried  Cabul  by  storm.  But  kept  in 
enforced  inactivity,  while  fort  after  fort  was  wrested  from 
them  without  an  effort  being  made  to  relieve  the  garrisons, 


250  TO  HERAT  AND  CABUL 

while  the  whole  of  their  provisions  for  the  winter  were  car- 
ried off  before  their  eyes  by  an  enemy  they  despised,  and 
feeling  that  on  the  few  occasions  on  which  they  were  led 
from  their  entrenchments  there  was  neither  plan  nor  order 
— no  opportunity  for  showing  their  valour,  none  for  engaging 
in  battle,  they  lost  heart.  Day  by  day  they  were  exposed  to 
continual  insults  from  their  exultant  foes,  day  by  day  ex- 
posed to  a  heavy  cannon  and  musketry  fire,  while  the  food 
served  out  was  insufficient  to  maintain  their  strength — almost 
insufficient  to  keep  them  alive.  It  is  not  wonderful  that 
their  fighting  powers  were  lost,  and  that  they  had  become 
little  more  than  a  rabble  in  uniform. 

Angus  had  now  no  official  duties  to  perform,  and  he  spent 
much  of  his  time  with  his  old  friend  Eldred  Pottinger,  now 
a  major,  who,  after  Macnaghten's  murder,  took  his  place, 
by  right  of  seniority  as  well  as  of  energy  and  talent,  as 
chief  political  officer.  He  had  been  employed  in  the  west, 
but  had  been  sent  to  Cabul,  and  very  shortly  afterwards  had 
proceeded  to  Kohistan,  returning  almost  the  sole  survivor 
of  the  little  force  that  was  stationed  there.  His  counsel 
since  then  had  always  been  for  energetic  measures,  but  his 
voice,  like  that  of  Macnaghten,  availed  nothing.  He  had, 
however,  taken  no  prominent  part  in  affairs,  having  been 
confined  to  his  bed  by  the  wound  he  had  received.  He  was 
now  recovering  from  it,  and  took  up  the  work  with  the  same 
energy  as  he  had  displayed  at  Herat.  As  he  said  to  Angus, 
"  It  seems  to  be  my  fate  to  have  to  do  with  incapable  men. 
At  Herat  it  was  Yar  Mahomed  and  Kamran,  here  it  is  Shel- 
ton  and  Elphinstone.  Elphinstone  and  Kamran  have  both 
in  their  younger  days  been  fighting  men.  Both  are  utterly 
worn  out  bodily  and  mentally  by  disease  and  age. 

"  Shelton  is  a  brave  man,  a  hard  fighter,  but  his  temper 
overmasters  him.  When  in  the  field  he  shows  personal  gal- 
lantry, but  no  military  capacity  whatever.  At  first  he  was 


A  DOOMED  ARMY  251 

always  in  opposition  to  the  general;  he  has  given  that  up 
as  useless,  and  beyond  always  endeavouring  to  thwart  his 
chief  when  the  latter  was  roused  to  momentary  flashes  of 
energy  by  Macnaghten,  he  has  sunk  into  a  deep  gloom,  as 
if  he  regarded  it  as  absolutely  hopeless  to  struggle  further. 
I  would  that  any  other  than  myself  had  been  placed  in  the 
position  I  now  hold.  The  terms  proposed  to  Macnaghten 
were  hard  enough,  they  will  be  still  harder,  still  more  dis- 
graceful, now.  But  however  disgraceful  they  may  be,  they 
will  be  accepted  by  the  military  leaders,  and  my  name  will 
be  associated  with  the  most  humiliating  treaty  a  British 
officer  has  ever  been  called  upon  to  sign." 

His  previsions  were  correct.  Negotiations  were  renewed 
without  the  slightest  allusion  being  made  to  the  murder  of 
Macnaghten,  and  as  if  such  an  event  had  never  happened. 
While  these  were  going  on,  little  food  was  allowed  to  enter 
camp — enough  to  sustain  life,  but  no  more.  At  last  the 
terms  were  settled.  The  Afghan  chiefs  agreed  to  supply 
provisions,  and  to  send  in  baggage  animals,  upon  payment 
being  made  for  them.  Six  officers  were  to  be  handed  over 
as  hostages,  all  muskets  and  ordnance  stores  in  the  magazines, 
all  money  in  the  treasury,  and  all  goods  and  property  be- 
longing to  Dost  Mahomed,  were  to  be  surrendered,  and  Dost 
himself  and  his  family  to  be  returned.  No  provision  what- 
ever was  made  for  the  safety  of  the  man  we  had  placed  upon 
the  throne.  Pottinger  endeavoured  in  vain  to  obtain  better 
conditions.  He  received  no  support  from  the  military  chiefs ; 
and  even  when  at  last  he  agreed  to  the  terms,  he  did  so  with 
little  hope  that  they  would  be  observed. 

Warnings  came  from  friends  in  the  city  that  no  depend- 
ence whatever  could  be  placed  upon  the  chiefs,  and  that  in 
spite  of  all  promises  the  force  would  certainly  be  attacked 
on  its  way  down  through  the  passes.  No  step  was  taken  by 
the  chiefs  to  send  in  either  provisions  or  carriage  animals, 


252  TO  HERAT  AND  CABUL 

and  the  escort  that  was  to  accompany  them  did  not  make 
its  appearance.  On  the  5th  of  January  the  military  authori- 
ties determined  to  march  out,  contrary  to  the  advice  of  Pot- 
tinger,  who  argued  that  without  carriage  and  provisions,  and 
without  the  protection  of  the  chiefs  as  promised,  the  pros- 
pects of  four  thousand  troops  and  twelve  thousand  followers 
being  able  to  make  their  way  down  through  the  passes  was 
small  indeed. 

Angus  had  come  to  rely  very  much  upon  Azim  for  in- 
formation as  to  what  was  passing  outside  the  cantonment. 
The  latter  had  during  the  three  years  come  to  speak  the 
Afghan  language  perfectly,  and  in  the  attire  of  a  peasant 
often  went  out  after  dark,  mixed  with  the  insurgents,  and 
entered  the  city.  He  had  each  time  he  went  out  brought 
back  a  less  hopeful  report  than  on  the  previous  one,  and 
Angus  was  the  more  impressed  since  the  young  fellow  was 
generally  cheery,  and  disposed  to  look  on  the  bright  side  of 
things,  taking  indeed  comparatively  little  interest  in  what 
was  going  on  around  him,  having  absolute  confidence  that 
his  master  would  find  some  way  out  of  any  difficulty  that 
might  confront  him. 

"  I  quite  agree  with  all  you  say,  Azim,  but  I  am  powerless 
to  act  in  any  way.  If  I  were  here  as  a  private  person  I 
should  certainly  disguise  myself  and  endeavour  to  make  my 
way  down  to  Candahar,  but  as  an  officer  I  must  remain  at 
my  post,  come  what  may,  and  share  the  fate  of  the  rest. 
But  if  you  are  disposed  to  try  and  get  down,  I  will  not 
throw  any  obstacle  in  your  way,  and  will  furnish  you  with 
money  sufficient  to  pay  your  way  either  back  to  Persia  or 
down  into  India,  where,  with  your  knowledge  of  languages, 
you  will  have  no  difficulty  in  finding  employment." 

Azim  laughed.  "  No,  master,  whatever  comes,  I  will  stay 
with  you.  Just  as  you  are  in  the  employment  of  govern- 
ment and  cannot  leave,  so  am  I  in  your  employment." 


A  DOOMED  ARMY  253 

Angus  did  not  attempt  to  push  the  matter  further,  for  he 
felt  that  it  would  be  useless;  and  indeed,  although  he  would 
have  done  what  he  could  to  procure  his  follower's  safety, 
he  felt  that  he  would  be  a  great  loss  to  him  in  many  ways. 
They  had  been  so  long  together,  and  had  gone  .through  so 
many  dangers  in  companionship,  that  he  regarded  Azim  as 
a  friend  rather  than  as  a  servant. 

"When  you  have  been  in  the  city,  Azim,  have  you  ever 
seen  our  friend  Sadut  ? " 

"  No,  sir ;  I  have  heard  that  he  has  been  in  the  city  many 
times,  and  that  he  was  with  the  Afghan  horsemen  who 
drove  our  people  in,  but  I  have  not  seen  him.  Should  I 
speak  to  him  if  I  do  so?" 

"Yes,  you  might  thank  him  in  my  name,  and  your  own, 
for  having  saved  our  lives  the  other  day;  but  on  no  account 
say  anything  to  him  about  the  future.  I  cannot  make  any 
overtures  for  help  to  a  man  who,  though  a  friend  of  my 
own,  is  fighting  against  us.  And  indeed,  however  willing  he 
might  be  to  aid  me  to  the  best  of  his  power,  he  could  not 
do  so.  If  we  are  really  attacked  in  the  pass,  mixed  up  as 
we  shall  be  with  the  camp  followers,  we  could  not  be  found 
in  the  crowd;  and  you  may  be  sure  that  the  tribesmen  and 
the  Ghazee  fanatics  will  be  mad  with  bloodshed  and  hate, 
and  that  even  a  chief  would  be  unable  to  stand  between  them 
and  their  victims.  Even  if  he  were  to  send  a  messenger  to 
me  to  say  that  he  and  his  men  would  again  save  me,  if  I 
would  let  him  know  in  which  part  of  the  column  I  shall 
ride,  I  should  refuse  to  do  so.  It  would  be  an  act  of 
treachery  on  my  part  to  others,  weaker  and  less  able  to 
take  care  of  themselves  than  I  am." 

On  the  afternoon  of  the  day  when  the  force  moved  out 
of  the  cantonments  Eldred  Pottinger  sent  for  Angus. 

"Are  you  ready  to  undertake  a  hazardous  mission?"  he 
asked.  "  It  is  so  hazardous  that  I  would  send  no  one  upon 


254  TO  HERAT  AND  CABUL 

it,  were  it  not  that  I  consider  that  those  who  stay  here  are 
running  as  great  a  risk.  After  the  murder  of  Burnes  and 
Macnaghten,  I  have  not  the  smallest  faith  in  the  chiefs 
keeping  to  their  promises,  and  the  manner  in  which  they 
have  failed  now  to  carry  out  the  terms  of  the  treaty  heightens 
my  distrust  in  them.  I  do  not  believe  that  any  of  the 
messengers  that  have  been  sent  down  of  late  have  succeeded 
in  getting  through;  and  indeed,  until  to-day  it  was  im- 
possible to  say  whether  we  should  really  start  or  not.  The 
messages  sent  down  were  necessarily  vague,  and  were  indeed 
only  requests  for  aid.  I  know,  and  no  doubt  Sale  knows, 
that  it  is  as  difficult  for  him  to  fight  his  way  up  the  passes 
as  it  is  for  us  to  make  our  way  down ;  but  now  that,  in  spite 
of  my  advice,  Elphinstone  and  Shelton  and  the  other  officers 
have  decided  to  wait  no  longer,  but  to  start  at  once,  a  specific 
message  must  be  sent." 

"I  am  ready  to  try  to  get  through,"  Angus  said.  "I 
have  no  doubt  that  while  we  have  been  negotiating  here, 
the  tribesmen  from  all  the  country  round  have  been  gather- 
ing in  the  passes.  The  only  way  would  be  for  me  to  join 
some  party  of  men  from  the  villages  going  that  way.  Once 
fairly  in  the  pass  and  among  the  tribesmen,  I  could  leave 
the  party  and  mingle  with  others.  Of  course  it  would  be 
slow  work  going  on  afoot,  but  I  should  say  that  it  would  be 
quite  impossible  on  horseback." 

"  I  have  not  much  hope  that  the  mission  will  be  of  any 
real  use,  for  Sale  is  himself  besieged  in  Jellalabad.  Still, 
one  must  make  an  attempt.  I  shall  enter  in  my  journals 
— trusting  that  they  will  some  day  be  recovered — that  as  a 
last  hope  I  have  accepted  the  offer  of  Mr.  Angus  Campbell 
to  carry  a  message  to  General  Sale  saying  that  we  are  start- 
ing, and  begging1  him,  if  it  be  possible,  to  make  a  diversion 
in  our  favour  by  advancing  as  far  as  he  can  to  meet  us.  I 
will  not  give  you  any  written  document.  You  are  well 


A  DOOMED  ARMY  255 

known  to  many  of  the  officers  who  went  down  with  Sale, 
therefore  no  question  can  arise  as  to  the  message  you  bear 
being  a  genuine  one.  If  you  were  searched  and  any  letter 
found  upon  you,  it  would  be  your  death-warrant.  Still,  I 
believe  if  anyone  could  get  through  alive,  you  can." 

"  I  will  do  my  best  anyhow,"  Angus  said,  "  and  I  will 
start  as  soon  as  it  becomes  dark.  It  is  all  easy  enough  as 
far  as  Khoord  Cabul,  after  that  I  shall  keep  a  sharp  look- 
out; if  I  overtake  any  party  of  villagers  I  shall  join  them." 

"  I  shall  come  and  say  good-bye  to  you  before  you  start, 
Campbell." 

Angus  returned  at  once  to  his  tent.  "You  have  my  dis- 
guise ready  and  your  own,  Azim  ? " 

"Yes,  sir,  I  have  both  ready,  and  have  two  of  their  long 
guns  and  some  daggers  and  pistols." 

"  I  have  my  own  pistols,  Azim." 

"Yes,  master,  and  it  will  be  as  well  to  take  them;  but 
they  would  be  seen  directly  if  you  had  them  in  your  girdle." 

"  No  doubt  they  would,  Azim,  but  there  are  a  good  many 
English  pistols  among  them  now.  There  were  three  pairs 
they  got  at  Sir  Alexander's  house,  and  there  have  been  several 
officers  killed  since.  I  can  give  out  that  I  took  part  in  the 
fight  at  Sir  Alexander's  and  got  these  pistols  as  my  share 
of  the  plunder." 

"  Are  you  going  anywhere,  master  ? " 

"  Yes,  I  am  going  to  try  to  get  down  through  the  passes 
to  Jellalabad.  We  shall  start  as  soon  as  it  is  dark.  It  will 
be  a  terribly  dangerous  journey,  but  I  hardly  think  it  will 
be  more  dangerous  than  going1  down  with  the  troops." 

"  What  are  we  to  take,  master  ?    I  will  get  it  ready." 

"  There  is  not  much  that  we  can  take.  I  will  go  down 
to  the  store  myself  and  get  eight  or  ten  pounds  of  ground 
grain.  There  is  not  much  of  it,  for  the  mills  have  all  been 
smashed,  and  we  have  had  to  serve  the  grain  out  whole; 


256  TO  HERAT  AND  OABUL 

but  I  know  that  there  are  two  or  three  sacks  left  in  the 
stores.  There  is  no  meat  to  be  had,  nor  spirits — not  that  I 
would  take  spirits  if  I  could  get  them,  for  if  they  were 
found  upon  me  it  would  excite  suspicion  at  once.  Another 
thing,  I  must  stain  myself.  My  face  and  hands  are  nearly 
as  brown  as  those  of  the  Afghans,  but  if  we  were  searched 
and  they  took  our  things  off,  they  would  see  in  an  instant 
that  I  was  a  white.  I  don't  know  how  we  are  to  get  stain." 

"I  should  think,  master,  that  if  we  were  to  bake  some 
grain  quite  black,  and  then  pound  it  and  pour  boiling 
water  over  it  so  as  to  make  it  like  very  strong  coffee,  it 
might  do." 

"A  very  good  idea.  Well,  I  shall  not  want  you  for  the 
next  two  hours.  I  shall  go  round  and  see  some  of  my 
friends  and  say  good-bye  to  them.  Mind,  whatever  you  do 
don't  say  a  word  to  anyone  about  our  leaving." 

"I  will  be  sure  not  to  do  that,  master." 

Azim  went  out  to  a  little  tent  of  thick  native  blanket  a 
few  yards  from  that  of  his  master.  There  he  sat  looking 
through  the  entrance  until  he  saw  his  master  leave  his  tent. 
Five  minutes  later  he  issued  out  in  his  Afghan  dress,  long 
coat  lined  with  sheep-skins,  black  lamb's-wool  cap,  high  boots, 
and  sheep-skin  breeches,  and  at  once  set  off  at  a  brisk  walk. 
There  were  at  all  times  many  Afghans  in  the  camp,  and 
indeed  many  of  the  camp  followers  had,  since  the  cold  set 
in,  adopted  the  same  dress;  therefore  no  attention  was  paid 
to  him,  and  no  questions  were  asked  by  the  sentries  as  he 
passed  out  at  the  gates.  As  soon  as  he  got  among  the 
gardens  and  enclosures  he  broke  into  a  run,  which  he  con- 
tinued until  he  reached  a  village  a  mile  and  a  half  away, 
and  here  he  entered  one  of  the  cottages. 

"Have  you  news  for  us?"  one  of  the  four  men  sitting 
there  said. 

"Yes,  and  good  news.    My  master  starts  as  soon  as  it  is 


A  DOOMED  AEMY  257 

dark.  He  will  be  on  foot,  and  he  is  going  to  try  and  make 
bis  way  down  through  the  passes." 

"That  is  good  news  indeed,"  the  Afghan  said.  "I  was 
afraid  that  we  should  never  get  a  chance.  Which  road  will 
he  go  by?" 

"I  can't  say  exactly,  but  he  is  sure  to  leave  by  the 
western  gate.  He  would  have  more  chance  of  getting  away 
unnoticed  on  that  side.  Of  course  we  shall  both  be  in  our 
Afghan  dress." 

"We  will  be  on  the  look-out.  I  suppose  that  he  will  be 
armed  ? " 

"  Yes,  he  will  carry  one  of  your  long  guns  and  a  brace  of 
pistols.  You  had  best  choose  some  spot  where  you  can  close 
on  him  suddenly,  for  he  would  certainly  fight  till  the  last." 

"  We  will  be  careful,"  the  man  said.  "  I  don't  want  to 
get  a  pistol  ball  in  my  body.  We  shall  follow  at  a  distance 
until  we  find  a  convenient  spot." 

"  He  is  sure  to  keep  along  at  the  foot  of  the  hill  so  as 
to  avoid  your  people  on  the  plain." 

"  It  will  suit  us  best  also,  as  we  shall  not  have  far  to  carry 
him." 

"Mind,  you  must  make  a  struggle  when  you  seize  me  as 
if  I  was  violently  resisting.  Then,  when  we  start  you  must 
order  me  to  walk,  and  threaten  to  blow  out  my  brains  if  I 
try  to  escape.  My  master  can  learn  the  truth  afterwards. 
If  he  were  to  know  it  now,  he  would  be  furious  with  me; 
but  in  a  few  days,  when  fighting  is  going  on  in  the  passes, 
and  a  great  disaster  occurs,  he  will  thank  me  for  having 
prevented  him  from  throwing  away  his  life,  especially  as 
he  knows  perfectly  well  that  the  English  in  Jellalabad  could 
not  come  out  to  assist  those  here." 

When  Angus  returned  to  the  tent  he  found  Azim  busy 
roasting  the  grain.  The  Afghan  costume  had  been  laid 
aside. 


258  TO  HERAT  AND  CABUL 

"  Everything  is  ready,  master.  The  grain  is  nearly  done, 
and  it  won't  take  me  long  to  pound  it  up.  I  got  a  few 
sticks  down  at  the  stores  and  the  kettle  is  just  boiling." 

"  Then  as  soon  as  it  is  ready  I  will  stain  myself,  but  I 
sha'n't  put  on  the  Afghan  dress  until  the  last  thing.  Have 
you  cooked  some  of  the  flour  ? " 

"Yes,  sir,  I  have  made  four  cakes.  They  are  caking  in 
the  ashes  now.  I  thought  perhaps  you  would  eat  one  before 
we  started,  and  we  can  carry  the  others  for  to-morrow." 

"  I  wish,  Azim,"  Angus  said,  "  that  there  was  some  chance 
of  this  journey  being  useful,  but  I  feel  convinced  that  no 
good  can  come  of  it.  The  moonshee  has  sent  in  a  report 
that  confirms  the  rumours  we  heard.  There  can  be  no  doubt 
that  General  Sale  is  strongly  beleaguered  in  Jellalabad,  and 
will  have  all  his  work  to  do  to  hold  the  place,  and  therefore 
it  will  be  absolutely  impossible  for  him  to  fight  his  way  up 
the  pass." 

"Then  why  should  you  go,  master?" 

"  Because  I  have  been  asked  to  go  as  a  forlorn  hope ;  and 
also  because,  however  great  the  risk  I  may  run,  I  do  not 
think  that  it  is  greater  than  it  would  be  if  I  went  down 
with  the  army.  We  have  no  baggage  animals.  We  have 
food  for  only  three  days  more,  and  it  will  only  last  that 
time  by  cutting  down  the  rations  still  further.  The  unfor- 
tunate camp  followers  are  for  the  most  part  without  warm 
clothing  of  any  sort,  and  will  die  by  thousands.  As  to  the 
troops,  I  have  no  doubt  that  most  of  them  will  fight  when 
they  know  that  unless  they  cut  their  way  through  they  are 
doomed,  but  their  chance  of  victory  is  small.  Here  in  the 
open  plain  they  might  even  now,  if  well  led  and  worked  up 
to  enthusiasm  by  a  stirring  speech,  thrash  the  Afghans, 
numerous  as  these  may  be;  but  pent  up  in  the  passes,  under 
a  fire  from  every  hillside  by  a  foe  they  cannot  reach — for  in 
their  present  weak  state  they  could  never  scale  the  moun- 


A  DOOMED  AKMY  259 

tains — I  believe  it  will  be  a  massacre  rather  than  a  fight. 
At  any  rate,  if  we  are  to  be  killed,  I  would  rather  be  shot 
as  a  spy  than  go  through  such  awful  scenes  as  there  will  be 
before  a  bullet  finishes  me." 

"I  don't  want  to  die  at  all,  master;  but  if  it  be  the  will 
of  Allah,  so  be  it.  But,  as  you  say,  I  would  rather  be  killed 
straight  off  than  struggle  on  through  the  snows  in  the  passes 
and  get  killed  in  the  end." 

As  soon  as  it  became  dusk,  Angus  and  his  follower  put 
on  their  disguises.  A  few  minutes  later  Eldred  Pottinger 
came  in. 

"  Well,  as  far  as  looks  go  you  will  pass  anywhere,  Camp- 
bell, and  certainly  as  regards  language  there  is  no  fear  of 
your  being  suspected.  The  real  difficulty  will  be  in  ex- 
plaining where  you  came  from.  Every  village  has  sent  its 
contingent  of  fighting  men,  and  if  it  happened  that  you 
met  anyone  from  the  place  you  pretended  to  come  from, 
the  consequences  would  be  very  awkward." 

"  I  intend  to  give  out  that  I  have  come  down  from 
Arcab,  which  is  a  little  village  to  the  south  of  Ghuznee.  I 
went  out  there  once  with  a  detachment  to  buy  some  cattle. 
It  is  hardly  likely  that  any  of  the  men  from  that  place 
would  have  come  here,  for  they  would  naturally  join  the 
bands  that  are  threatening  our  garrison  there.  Of  course 
I  can  invent  some  story  to  account  for  my  not  doing  the 
same." 

Pottinger  nodded.  "Well,  Campbell,  I  hope  that  you 
will  get  well  through  it.  As  I  told  you,  I  have  not  a  shadow 
of  hope  that  Sale  will  be  able  to  lend  a  hand  to  us.  Still, 
although  it  is  but  one  in  a  thousand  chances,  I  feel  that  it 
ought  to  be  attempted;  and  in  your  case  I  say  honestly  that 
I  consider  there  is  no  greater  risk  in  your  going  down  by 
yourself,  and  having  your  own  wits  to  depend  upon,  than  in 
going  down  with  the  army — if  one  can  call  this  broken  and 


260  TO  HERAT  AND  CABUL 

dispirited  soldiery  an  army — for  in  that  case  the  bravest  and 
clearest  head  would  share  the  fate,  whatever  that  may  be, 
of  the  dullest  and  most  cowardly." 

"  I  quite  see  that,  and  agree  with  you  that  nothing  can 
be  slighter  than  the  chances  of  the  army  getting  down  safely. 
Be  assured  that  whatever  happens,  so  far  from  blaming  you, 
I  shall  consider  that  you  did  the  best  for  me  by  sending 
me  on  this  mission." 

"  I  will  walk  with  you  to  the  gate,"  Pottinger  said.  "  In 
the  daytime  there  is  no  check  upon  anyone  passing  in  or 
out,  but  at  night  the  sentries  are  on  the  alert,  and  as  you 
are  both  armed,  you  would  certainly  be  stopped." 

A  minute  was  spent  in  packing  their  scanty  stores  into 
the  pockets  of  their  coats,  then  they  started  for  the  gate. 
Here  Pottinger,  after  seeing  them  through,  shook  hands 
cordially  not  only  with  Angus  but  with  Azim,  whom  he 
had  learned  to  like  and  value  for  the  devotion  he  showed 
to  his  master  in  Herat.  They  proceeded  on  their  way  with- 
out meeting  any  parties  of  Afghans  until  they  neared  the 
foot  of  the  hill,  then,  as  they  were  passing"  along  a  path 
through  an  orchard,  a  party  of  men  suddenly  sprang  out 
upon  them,  and  they  were  thrown  down  on  their  faces  before 
either  had  time  to  offer  any  resistance.  Angus,  indeed,  had 
repressed  the  natural  impulse  to  try  to  draw  one  of  his 
pistols.  Resistance  would  have  meant  death,  and  it  seemed 
to  him  that  these  could  only  be  plunderers. 

"  What  are  you  doing,  fools  ? "  he  exclaimed.  "  Do  you 
not  see  that  we  are  friends?" 

No  answer  was  given.  His  captors  were  binding  his  hands 
tightly  to  his  side;  then  before  raising  him  they  muffled  his 
head  in  a  blanket.  He  was  then  lifted  to  his  feet.  He 
heard  the  men  say  to  Azim  that  he  was  to  accompany  them, 
and  that  if  he  attempted  escape  he  would  at  once  be  shot. 
A  man  on  each  side  of  him  put  his  hands  on  his  shoulder, 


A  DOOMED  ARMY  261 

and  one  said:  "You  are  to  walk  quietly  with  us;  escape  is 
impossible,  and  it  were  well  for  you  not  to  attempt  it." 

Angus  indeed  felt  that  escape  was  out  of  the  question. 
He  was  unable  to  conjecture  into  whose  hands  he  had  fallen. 
They  were  not  bent  upon  plunder,  for  had  they  been  so, 
they  would  have  taken  his  arms,  searched  him,  and  prob- 
ably cut  his  throat  afterwards.  It  seemed  impossible  to  him 
that  they  could  know  he  was  a  British  officer,  and  the  only 
conceivable  explanation  he  could  think  of  was  that  men  had 
been  scattered  all  round  the  cantonment  to  prevent  anyone 
from  leaving,  or  going  out  with  messages  to  one  or  other  of 
the  chiefs,  and  that  they  had  seen  him  and  Azim  come  out, 
had  followed  and  seized  them,  and  were  now  taking  them 
to  some  chief  to  be  questioned  as  to  why  they  were  in  the 
British  camp  after  dark,  and  for  what  purpose  they  had  left. 
Certainly  the  affair  reminded  him  of  his  friendly  capture 
at  Cabul;  but  it  seemed  to  him  altogether  impossible  that 
Sadut  could  have  learned  that  he  was  about  to  start  on  a 
mission,  or  that  had  he  even  learned  it,  he  could  have  known 
that  he  and  Azim  would  have  followed  the  road  on  which 
they  had  been  captured.  He  soon  found  that  the  path  they 
were  following  was  an  upward  one,  and  as  it  became  steeper 
and  steeper,  he  was  sure  that  he  was  being  taken  into  the 
hills. 

Once  or  twice  he  addressed  his  captors,  but  received  no 
answer.  He  walked,  as  far  as  he  could  tell,  for  two  hours. 
At  last  there  was  a  pause.  He  heard  a  door  open,  and. 
felt  that  he  was  being  taken  into  a  hut.  Then  for  the 
first  time  the  pistols  and  knives  were  taken  from  his  sash. 
His  captors,  after  addressing  a  few  whispered  words  to 
some  men  who  were  already  in  the  hut,  retired,  closing  the 
door  behind  them  and  piling  heavy  stones  against  it.  The 
blanket  was  then  taken  off  his  head.  A  bright  fire  was 
burning  in  the  hut,  which  he  saw  was  some  fifteen  feet 


262  TO  HERAT  AND  OABUL 

square.  Four  men,  armed  to  the  teeth,  were  standing  by 
the  fire.  There  was  no  door  save  the  one  by  which  they 
had  been  brought  in,  and  it  was  evident  that  the  hut  con- 
sisted only  of  this  room. 

"You  are  unhurt,  I  hope,"  he  said  to  Azim. 

"Yes.  I  was  knocked  down  before  I  had  time  to  think 
of  doing  anything." 

"Do  you  know  where  they  have  brought  us?" 

"No.     They  threw  a  cloth  over  my  head." 

"  How  could  this  have  happened,  Azim  ?  I  cannot  under- 
stand it  at  all." 

"No  more  can  I,  sir." 

"When  we  started  to  fight  against  the  infidels  we  never 
thought  that  we  should  be  attacked  by  our  own  country- 
men. It  seems  to  me  that  there  must  be  some  mistake." 
Then  he  turned  to  the  Afghans.  "Why  are  we  brought 
here  ?  What  harm  have  we  done  ? " 

"  That  I  know  not,"  the  man  said.  "  You  must  have 
done  something,  or  our  comrades  would  not  have  brought 
you  here.  That  is  their  business." 

"  It  seems  to  me,"  Angus  said  angrily,  "  it  is  our  business 
too.  Our  tribe  are  not  at  war  with  any  others,  and  it  is  a 
new  thing  that  Afghans  should  attack  each  other  when  all 
are  uniting  to  fight  the  strangers." 

"I  know  nothing  about  it.  I  only  know  that  our  com- 
rades brought  you  here,  and  left  us  to  look  after  you. 
There  are  plenty  of  traitors  among  the  men  who  have  taken 
the  infidel's  gold.  They  will  all  be  reckoned  with  when  we 
have  finished  with  the  white  men.  Well,  they  did  not  tell 
us  to  keep  you  bound,  and  we  will  take  off  the  cords  if  you 
swear  by  the  faith  that  you  will  make  no  attempt  to  escape." 

Angus  hesitated.  It  seemed  to  him  that  if  two  of  the 
four  men  slept  he  and  Azim  could,  if  unbound,  snatch  at 
their  weapons,  and  at  least  make  a  fight  for  it;  that  chance 
would  be  gone  if  he  gave  his  word. 


A  DOOMED  AEMY  263 

"No,"  he  said;  "I  will  make  no  bargain  with  men  who 
have  deprived  me  of  my  liberty." 

"Well,  just  as  you  like,"  the  other  said,  seating  himself 
by  the  fire,  "  it  makes  no  matter  to  us." 

"  We  may  as  well  sit  down  too,"  Angus  said,  and  advanc- 
ing near  the  fire  he  sat  down  by  the  side  of  the  Afghans. 
Azim  did  the  same. 

"  Where  did  you  say  you  came  from  ?  "  the  man  who  had 
been  the  spokesman  of  the  party  asked.  Angus  briefly 
named  the  village  he  had  before  decided  upon,  and  then 
sat  looking  silently  at  the  fire.  He  saw  that  his  chance  of 
being  able  to  discover  at  present  any  plan  for  escape  was 
very  small.  Presently  one  of  the  men  said,  "Let  us  have 
supper,"  and  rising  he  went  to  a  corner  of  the  hut,  where 
the  carcass  of  a  sheep  was  hanging  from  the  rafters.  He 
cut  off  a  leg,  divided  this  into  slices,  which  he  spitted  on 
a  ramrod,  and  then  put  it  over  the  fire.  In  the  meantime 
another  had  unceremoniously  placed  the  four  cakes  that  were 
taken  from  the  captives  in  the  embers  to  warm  up.  When 
the  meat  was  done,  the  leader  said  to  Angus:  "We  do  not 
wish  to  starve  you.  We  will  untie  the  hands  of  one  of  you, 
and  let  him  eat;  when  he  has  done,  we  will  fasten  him  up 
again,  and  let  the  other  eat  in  the  same  way." 

This  was  done.  When  they  were  again  securely  bound 
Angus  said  in  Pushtoo :  "  You  may  as  well  lie  down  now, 
friend.  Perhaps  in  the  morning  the  men  who  have  taken 
us  will  find  out  that  they  have  made  a  mistake  and  will  let 
us  go,  with  apologies  for  having  treated  friends  so  roughly." 
They  lay  down  close  together,  but  Angus  was  afraid  even 
to  whisper  to  his  follower,  lest  it  should  excite  the  suspicion 
of  their  guard.  For  an  hour  he  remained  watchful,  then 
he  saw  two  of  the  Afghans  lie  down,  but  the  other  two 
lighted  their  pipes,  and  were  evidently  going  to  keep  watch. 
He  had  tried  quietly  once  or  twice  to  see  if  the  cords  that 
bound  him  could  be  loosened,  but  he  found  that  although 


264  TO  HERAT  AND  OABUL 

they  had  not  been  tied  unpleasantly  tight,  they  were  securely 
fastened,  and  did  not  yield  in  the  slightest  to  his  efforts. 
He  therefore  gave  up  the  idea  of  trying  to  free  himself  from 
them;  and  indeed,  even  if  the  guards  should  all  sleep,  the 
prospect  was  hopeless,  for  from  the  noise  made  in  rolling  the 
rocks  against  the  door,  it  was  certain  that  this  could  not 
be  opened  without  waking  the  sleepers.  It  would  therefore 
be  necessary  as  a  preliminary  to  kill  all  of  them,  and  even 
then  he  might  not  be  able  to  break  open  the  door.  At  any 
rate,  there  was  nothing  to  do  at  present.  After  trying  in 
vain  to  discover  an  explanation  of  their  capture  he  fell 
asleep.  He  woke  several  times  in  the  night,  but  found  that 
two  men  were  always  on  guard.  The  next  morning  he  heard 
the  stones  removed  from  the  door,  but  no  one  entered.  The 
Afghans  breakfasted,  and  this  time  permitted  their  captives 
to  share  the  meal  with  them.  From  time  to  time  one  or 
other  of  the  Afghans  went  to  the  door  and  looked  out,  and 
at  two  o'clock  one  of  them  said,  "  The  infidels  are  mov- 
ing." 

The  others  went  out.  "Have  you  thought  of  any  way 
of  escape?"  Angus  whispered  in  Persian  to  his  follower. 

"  I  can  think  of  nothing,"  Azim  murmured. 

As  there  seemed  no  obstacle  to  their  going  out  Angus 
joined  his  captors.  He  could  see  on  the  snow  which  covered 
the  plain  below,  the  dark  masses  of  the  troops  surrounded 
by  a  host  of  camp  followers,  while  beyond  these  hovered 
hordes  of  Afghans.  From  time  to  time  horsemen  rode  in, 
evidently  delivered  some  message,  and  then  went  off  again. 

The  departure  of  the  troops  had  been  fatally  delayed. 
It  was  ordered  to  begin  at  eight  o'clock  in  the  morning, 
and  at  that  hour  they  stood  to  their  arms.  The  day  was 
clear  and  bright,  and  although  four  miles  from  the  camp, 
Angus  could  clearly  see  what  was  going  on.  Although  it 
was  now  two  in  the  afternoon,  only  a  portion  of  the  troops 


A  DOOMED  ABMY  265 

had  left  the  camp,  and  it  was  not  till  six  o'clock,  when 
night  had  already  fallen,  that  the  rear-guard  left  it. 

Already  confusion  had  set  in;  the  ranks  of  the  soldiers 
were  broken  up  by  the  terrified  camp  followers,  and  pre- 
sented the  appearance  of  a  vast  mob  rather  than  an  or- 
ganized army.  Had  they  started  at  the  hour  fixed  they 
might  have  reached  Khoord  Cabul  in  safety,  but  the  loss  of 
time  was  fatal.  Only  six  miles  were  accomplished,  and  it 
was  two  o'clock  in  the  morning  before  the  whole  gathered, 
when  it  was  seen  that  their  numbers  were  already  dimin- 
ished. The  wretched  camp  followers,  accustomed  to  the 
heat  of  the  plains  of  India,  and  thinly  clad,  were  the  first 
to  succumb.  Hundreds,  especially  of  women  and  children, 
sat  down  in  the  snow  and  were  frozen  to  death.  Already 
the  Afghans  were  hanging  on  the  flanks,  and  sometimes 
making  rushes  and  cutting  down  many  of  the  unresisting 
multitude. 

Soon  after  two  o'clock  a  native  came  up  to  the  hut  and 
delivered  an  order  to  the  Afghans,  who  at  once  cut  up  the 
remainder  of  the  sheep,  and  divided  it  between  them.  Then 
their  leader  said,  "  We  are  to  move."  The  ropes  that  bound 
the  prisoners  were  loosened.  One  end  was  tied  round  the 
wrist  of  each  captive,  the  other  being  wound  round  the 
waist  of  an  Afghan,  allowing  a  slack  of  a  yard  and  a  half. 
As  soon  as  this  was  done  the  party  moved  off.  They  de- 
scended the  hill  for  some  distance,  and  then  followed  the 
lower  slopes  in  the  direction  in  which  the  army  was  moving. 
They  kept  on  till  long  after  midnight,  and  then  halted  at  a 
deserted  hut.  Far  behind  them  they  could  see  the  flames 
of  the  burning  cantonments,  which  had  been  fired  by  the 
Afghans  as  soon  as  they  had  removed  everything  of  the  slight- 
est value.  In  the  morning  Angus  saw  that  their  halting- 
place  was  high  up  above  the  entrance  of  the  Khoord  Cabul 
Pass.  There  was  as  yet  no  sign  of  the  army,  but  in  the 


266  TO  HERAT  AND  CABUL 

afternoon  it  was  seen  approaching  in  a  confused  mass.  The 
night  had  been  a  dreadful  one;  soldiers  and  camp  followers, 
horses  and  baggage  and  cattle  were  huddled  in  a  confused 
mass.  No  warm  clothes  had  been  served  out  to  the  follow- 
ers, and  hundreds  were  frozen  to  death  during  the  night, 
while  others  were  so  badly  frost-bitten  that  they  were  unable 
to  walk. 

As  soon  as  the  troops  started  again  the  Afghan  horsemen 
attacked  the  rear,  seizing  the  baggage,  capturing  the  guns, 
and  cutting  down  all  they  encountered.  At  noon  Akbar 
Khan,  with  six  hundred  horsemen,  rode  up.  Pottinger  sent 
Captain  Skinner  with  six  horsemen  to  communicate  with 
him.  Akbar  said  that  he  had  been  sent  out  by  the  Nawab 
to  protect  them  from  the  attacks  of  the  Ghazees.  His  in- 
structions were  to  demand  other  hostages  as  security  for  the 
evacuation  of  Jellalabad,  and  to  arrest  the  progress  of  the 
force,  supplying  it  in  the  meantime  with  everything  it  re- 
quired, until  news  of  the  evacuation  of  Jellalabad  by  Sale 
was  received.  The  troops,  however,  did  not  halt  until  they 
reached  the  entrance  of  the  Cabul  Pass.  The  night  was 
even  more  dreadful  than  the  preceding  day  had  been.  The 
Sepoys  burned  their  caps  and  accoutrements  to  obtain  a 
little  warmth,  and  numbers  were  frozen  to  death.  At  day- 
break the  crowd  of  soldiers  and  camp  followers  began  to 
push  forward,  their  only  thought  now  being  how  to  escape 
death. 

Akbar  Khan  spent  some  hours  in  negotiations.  Four  more 
hostages  were  demanded;  Pottinger  volunteered  to  be  one  of 
them,  Captain  Lawrence  had  been  specially  named,  and  Pot- 
tinger chose  Mackenzie  as  the  third.  It  was  agreed  that  the 
force  should  move  down  through  the  Khoord  Cabul  Pass 
to  Tezeen,  there  to  await  tidings  of  the  evacuation  of  Jellala- 
bad. 


ANNIHILATION  OF  THE  AEMY  267 

CHAPTEE  XVI 

ANNIHILATION  OF  THE  ARMY 

IN  terrible  confusion  the  crowd  of  fugitives — they  were 
now  nothing  more — all  entered  the  terrible  pass.  The 
Ghilzyes  at  once  commenced  their  attack.  In  vain  did  Akbar 
Khan  and  his  chiefs  endeavour  to  restrain  the  fanatics. 
From  the  hillsides,  from  every  rocky  crag  they  opened  a 
murderous  fire.  That  day  three  thousand  men  fell,  either 
from  the  musket  fire  or  from  the  knives  of  the  Afghans. 
The  dooly-bearers  had  all  deserted  on  the  first  day,  the 
greater  portion  of  the  camels  and  ponies  had  been  captured. 
So  far  the  ladies  had  escaped;  they  all  rode  next  to  the 
advanced  guard,  as  this  was  considered  the  safest  point,  for 
the  soldiers  here  maintained  some  sort  of  order,  and  the 
Afghans,  therefore,  devoted  their  attention  to  the  helpless 
crowd  in  the  rear.  Again  the  column  halted  in  the  snow. 

In  the  morning  the  camp  followers  made  another  rush 
ahead,  but  the  troops,  who  were  ordered  to  march  at  ten 
o'clock,  did  not  move,  for  in  spite  of  all  the  remonstrances 
of  the  officers,  the  general  countermanded  the  order,  believ- 
ing that  Akbar  Khan  would  send  in  provisions  and  troops 
to  protect  them.  Another  terrible  night  was  passed,  and 
then  Captain  Skinner  rode  into  camp  with  a  new  proposal 
from  Akbar  Khan,  namely,  that  all  the  English  ladies  of 
the  force  should  be  placed  under  his  charge,  and  that  they 
might  be  accompanied  by  their  husbands.  Pottinger  remem- 
bering that  Akbar  Khan's  family  were  in  the  hands  of  the 
British,  and  believing  that  he  was  sincere  in  his  wish  to 
save  the  ladies  and  children  from  destruction,  sanctioned 
the  proposal.  Elphinstone  at  once  accepted  it.  It  was  the 
choice  of  two  evils.  On  the  one  hand  Akbar  Khan  had 


268  TO  HERAT  AND  OABUL 

proved  faithless,  and  on  the  other  certain  death  awaited  the 
ladies.  They  were  insufficiently  olad,  had  scarcely  tasted 
food  since  they  left  Cabul,  and  had  passed  three  terrible 
nights  in  the  snow.  Undoubtedly  it  was  the  wiser  course 
to  trust  them  to  Akbar  Khan.  Accordingly  a  party  of  Afghan 
horse  rode  in,  and  Lady  Macnaghten,  Lady  Sale,  and  ten 
other  ladies,  some  twenty  children,  and  eight  officers  rode 
away  under  their  escort. 

The  next  morning  the  survivors  started.  The  Sepoys  had 
already  lost  the  greater  portion  of  their  numbers;  the  re- 
mainder threw  away  their  guns,  which  they  could  no  longer 
use  owing1  to  their  hands  being  frost-bitten,  and  joined  the 
disorganized  rabble  in  front.  They  were  attacked  in  a  nar- 
row gorge,  and  the  pass  was  soon  choked  with  dead  and 
dying.  Not  a  single  Sepoy  survived.  Of  the  sixteen  thou- 
sand men,  soldiers  and  camp  followers,  that  had  left  Cabul 
four  days  before,  not  more  than  a  quarter  were  now  alive. 
Akbar  Khan  watched  the  slaughter  that  was  going  on,  de- 
claring that  he  was  powerless  to  restrain  the  Ghilzyes,  whom 
even  their  own  chiefs  could  not  control.  He  advised  that 
the  remnant  of  the  British  army  should  lay  down  their 
arms  and  place  themselves  under  his  protection.  The  general 
very  properly  refused  the  offer,  for  Akbar  Khan  had  already 
acknowledged  that  he  was  incapable  of  restraining  the  tribes- 
men. 

The  march  was  continued.  The  rear-guard  was  com- 
manded by  Shelton,  and  nobly  they  did  their  work,  repuls- 
ing several  attacks  of  the  enemy,  and  giving  time  for  those 
ahead  to  pursue  their  way.  Before  daybreak  they  started 
again  in  hopes  that  they  might  reach  Jugduluk  that  day. 
Despair  gave  the  soldiers  strength,  and  they  moved  off 
quietly  in  order  to  obtain  a  start  of  the  camp  followers, 
who  paralysed  their  action.  The  latter,  however,  were  soon 
on  their  feet,  and  as  usual  endeavoured  to  push  on  ahead 


ANNIHILATION  OF  THE  ARMY  269 

of  the  troops.  For  some  miles  the  retreat  was  uninterrupted, 
but  presently  a  heavy  fire  opened  on  the  rear-guard.  The 
camp  followers  then  rushed  in  a  tumultuous  crowd  past  the 
troops,  and  when,  a  little  later,  the  head  of  the  column  was 
attacked,  they  again  fled  to  the  rear,  not  only  hampering  the 
movements  of  the  soldiers,  but  carrying  many  of  them  away 
by  the  impetus  of  their  rush.  Steadily  until  day  broke  the 
Afghan  marksmen  maintained  their  fire.  Soon  afterwards 
the  advanced  guard  reached  a  village  ten  miles  from  Jugdu- 
luk,  and  halting  only  till  the  rear-guard  came  up  again 
pushed  forward.  Shelton,  with  a  handful  of  the  rear-guard, 
kept  the  Afghans  at  bay,  and  covered  the  retreat  until  all 
arrived  in  Jugduluk,  where  they  took  their  post  behind  some 
ruined  walls.  There  was,  however,  little  rest  for  them;  the 
Afghans,  in  ever-increasing  numbers,  posted  themselves  on 
the  heights  and  opened  a  terrible  fire.  Three  bullocks  were 
found  among  the  camp  followers;  these  were  instantly  killed 
and  served  out  to  the  famishing  soldiers,  who  devoured  them 
raw.  Again  Akbar's  party  approached,  and  Captain  Skinner 
went  out  to  remonstrate  with  him  for  permitting  the  con- 
tinued attacks,  but  the  Afghan  prince  declared  himself  in- 
capable of  repressing  his  men,  as  his  orders  were  disre- 
garded. 

A  handful  of  the  44th  Regiment  issued  out  and  made 
a  gallant  rush  at  the  enemy  and  drove  them  back,  but  as 
the  main  body  did  not  follow  their  example,  they  again 
retired  behind  the  ruined  walls.  All  night  long  and  through 
the  next  day  the  force  remained  at  Jugduluk.  Akbar  Khan 
sent  in  a  message  inviting  the  general,  Shelton,  and  Captain 
Johnson  to  a  conference,  and  promised  to  send  in  provisions. 
This  promise  he  as  usual  broke,  and  insisted  on  retaining 
the  three  officers  as  hostages. 

The  conference  was  resumed  the  next  morning.  Akbar 
now  seemed  in  earnest  in  his  desire  to  put  a  stop  to  the 


270  TO  HEBAT  AND  CABUL 

slaughter;  but  the  petty  chiefs  of  the  tribes'  between  Jug1* 
duluk  and  Jellalabad  were  now  present,  and  these  would 
listen  neither  to  his  entreaties  nor  commands,  nor  to  the 
offer  of  large  sums  of  money.  They  thirsted  for  blood,  and 
were  determined  to  extirpate  the  infidels.  Mahomed  Shah 
Khan,  to  whose  daughter  Akbar  was  married,  then  came 
forward  and  asked  whether  the  British  would  pay  two  lacs 
of  rupees  for  safe-conduct  to  Jellalabad.  The  general  agreed 
to  this,  and  it  seemed  that  at  last  the  safety  of  the  survivors 
was  ensured.  At  eight  o'clock  in  the  evening  the  survivors, 
who  now  numbered  but  a  hundred  and  twenty  of  the  44th 
and  twenty-five  artillerymen,  again  set  forth.  No  provisions 
had  been  sent  in  during  the  two  days'  halt,  and  all  were 
terribly  reduced  by  famine.  The  Afghans  rushed  down 
among  the  camp  followers,  killing  them  unresistingly.  The 
soldiers,  however,  held  together,  and,  bayonet  in  hand,  drove 
off  their  assailants  until  they  reached  the  Jugduluk  Pass. 
They  struggled  up  the  narrow  and  terribly  steep  ascent 
until  when  near  the  summit  they  came  upon  a  barricade 
composed  of  bushes  and  branches  of  trees.  Here  the  column 
was  thrown  into  great  confusion,  the  camp  followers  crowd- 
ing upon  the  soldiers.  The  latter  fought  with  desperation, 
while  the  Afghans  massacred  the  unresisting1  camp  followers. 
Twelve  officers  fell  here.  Their  number  was  large  in  pro- 
portion to  that  of  the  men.  They  had  been  no  better  clothed, 
and  had  suffered  equally  from  cold  and  hunger;  but  they 
did  not  give  way  to  the  depression  that  during  the  first  two 
marches  had  reigned  among  the  troops.  They  were  upheld, 
too,  by  the  feeling  of  responsibility,  and  the  necessity  of 
keeping  up  an  appearance  of  cheerfulness  and  hopefulness 
in  order  to  encourage  the  men.  After  desperate  fighting 
some  twenty  officers  and  twenty-five  soldiers  managed  to 
break  their  way  through  the  barricade,  and  at  daybreak 


ANNIHILATION  OF  THE  ABMY  271 

reached  Gundamuck.  There  were  but  two  rounds  of  ammu- 
nition remaining  in  the  men's  pouches.  Most  of  them  were 
already  wounded,  but  they  were  resolute  not  to  lay  dow.'i 
their  arms,  and  when  called  upon  to  do  so  they  refused. 
Then  the  mob  of  Afghans  rushed  down  upon  them.  One 
officer  and  a  few  privates  were  taken  prisoners,  but  seven 
officers  succeeded  in  cutting  their  way  through,  and  being 
mounted,  left  the  Afghans  behind  them,  and  reached  Futteh- 
bad,  but  sixteen  miles  from  Jellalabad.  Here,  however,  they 
were  attacked  by  the  peasantry.  Two  were  cut  down  at 
once;  the  others  rode  off,  but  were  pursued  and  overtaken. 
Four  of  them  were  killed,  and  one  only,  Dr.  Brydon,  reached 
Jellalabad  alive,  the  sole  survivor  of  four  thousand  five  hun- 
dred fighting  men  and  twelve  thousand  camp  followers,  with 
the  exception  only  of  those  who  had  been  taken  over  by  Akbar 
as  hostages. 

This,  the  greatest  disaster  that  ever  befell  a  British  army, 
was  due  to  the  vacillation  and  weakness  that  had  character- 
ized every  action  since  the  murder  of  Sir  Alexander  Burnes. 
Had  the  force  pressed  forward  at  once  on  the  morning 
when  it  left  its  cantonment,  the  greater  portion  would  prob- 
ably have  reached  Jellalabad,  but  two  days  had  been  lost 
before  the  army  reached  Khoord  Cabul  Pass,  about  ten 
miles  from  the  city.  There  were  fresh  halts,  fresh  delays, 
fresh  futile  negotiations  again  and  again,  and  during  the 
time  thus  thrown  away  the  enemy  from  all  the  mountains 
round  were  gathering  in  the  passes  to  oppose  them,  and 
building  the  fatal  barricade  in  the  pass  of  Jugduluk.  Had 
the  force  pushed  forward  with  only  an  occasional  halt  of  a 
few  hours,  they  would  not  have  been  enfeebled  by  hunger. 
By  slaying  the  baggage  animals  an  abundance  of  food  could 
have  been  obtained  for  all,  the  opposition  they  encountered 
would  have  been  comparatively  feeble,  and  cold  would  have 


272  TO  HERAT  AND  CABUL 

been  their  only  formidable  antagonist.  Truly  it  seemed  tbat 
a  curse  had  fallen  upon  the  army ;  that  it  was  Divine  retribu- 
bution  for  a  most  unjust  and  iniquitous  war. 

Each  day  Angus  and  his  followers  had  been  taken  along, 
always  being  halted  in  positions  whence  they  could  see  the 
terrible  tragedy  that  was  being  enacted.  Angus  was  half 
mad  with  grief  and  with  fury  that  he  was  not  in  his  place 
among  the  troops.  Azim  in  vain  endeavoured  to  comfort 
him,  by  pointing  out  that  it  was  not  his  fault  that  he  was 
not  there,  but  that  he  had  been  sent  away  from  the  army 
by  the  order  of  his  superior;  and  that  even  had  he  not  been 
taken  prisoner,  he  would  not  be  a  sharer  in  what  was  going 
on  in  the  pass. 

"  That  is  true,  Azim,  but  it  is  a  poor  consolation  to  me. 
I  feel  sure  that  Pottinger  foresaw  what  would  happen,  and 
that  it  was  as  an  act  of  friendship,  in  giving  me  a  chance  of 
getting  through  safely,  that  he  sent  me  down.  It  was  no 
doubt  kindly  meant,  but  I  would  a  thousand  times  rather 
have  shared  the  fate  of  the  rest." 

"  Well,  master,  for  my  part  I  own  that  I  am  glad  we 
are  up  here.  I  have  no  wish  to  be  killed,  especially  as  it 
would  do  no  good  to  anyone.  Why  should  a  man  throw 
away  his  life?  Allah  has  given  it  to  us,  and  we  shall  die 
when  our  time  comes.  But  it  would  be  wicked  to  throw  it 
away  uselessly." 

"It  is  all  very  well  to  talk  like  that,  Azim,  when  one  is 
in  safety,  but  when  one  sees  one's  comrades  being  slaugh- 
tered, a  man  would  not  be  worthy  of  the  name  did  he  not 
long  to  be  with  them  and  to  die  fighting  by  their  side.  In- 
deed, we  know  not  at  present  whether  our  lives  are  to  be 
saved.  We  know  not  into  whose  hands  we  have  fallen,  or 
why  we  should  thus  be  taken  along  to  be  spectators  of  this 
massacre.  The  whole  thing  is  bewildering  to  me." 

They  now  generally  conversed  in  Persian.     Their  guards, 


ANGUS    WAS    HALF   MAD    WITH    GRIEF   AND    WITH    FURY 
THAT    HE   WAS   NOT   IN   HIS   PLACE   AMONG   THE   TROOPS 


ANNIHILATION  OF  THE  AEMY  273 

although  keeping  as  strict  a  watch  as  ever  on  them,  inter- 
fered with  them  but  little.  Fortunately  the  worst  scenes 
took  place  at  night,  and  were  therefore  hidden  from  those 
on  the  hill,  the  incessant  rattle  of  musketry  alone  telling 
of  the  relentless  pursuit.  On  the  night  of  the  12th  the 
roar  of  fire  had  been  louder  than  ever.  At  last  it  ceased 
suddenly.  Angus  and  his  guards  alike  remained  awake, 
Angus  listening  in  agony  to  the  sounds  of  the  combat,  the 
Afghans  talking  together  in  low  tones. 

"  What  do  you  think  has  happened  ? "  he  asked  them 
when  some  minutes  had  passed  without  the  sound  of  a  shot 
being  heard. 

"Either  Akbar  Khan  has  succeeded  in  persuading  the 
Ghilzye  chiefs  to  spare  what  few  there  are  left  of  the  infidels, 
or  the  last  man  has  been  slain." 

Angus  felt  that  the  latter  was  by  far  the  more  probable 
solution,  and  throwing  himself  down  on  the  ground  he 
burst  into  tears.  The  eight  days  of  mental  suffering  had 
shaken  him  terribly,  and  now,  feeling  tha£  his  worst  fears 
had  been  realized,  he  broke  down  altogether.  Before  day- 
break his  captors  moved  some  distance  farther  up  into  the 
mountains,  and  by  the  cautious  manner  in  which  they  made 
their  way,  often  pausing  to  look  back  and  round,  Angus 
concluded  that  they  were  desirous  of  avoiding  all  contact 
with  their  countrymen.  He  had  indeed  before  observed 
how  careful  they  were  to  avoid  the  Afghans  scattered  on 
the  hillside,  and  he  now  concluded  that  they  must  be  taking* 
him  to  the  tower  of  the  chief,  to  be  dealt  with  as  he  might 
direct,  either  shot  at  once  or  held  by  him  as  a  hostage, 
for  whose  delivery  he  might  obtain  a  handsome  sum  should 
the  British  again  advance  up  the  passes. 

All  day  they  travelled  among  the  hills.  At  last  they  came 
upon  a  large  village.  There  were  no  men  about,  doubtless 
all  had  gone  to  take  part  in  the  fray.  The  women  came  out 

(U807)  S 


274  TO  HERAT  AND  CABUL 

and  eagerly  questioned  them  as  to  the  fighting  on  the  night 
before. 

"We  know  nothing,"  the  leader  said.  "We  believe  that 
the  last  of  the  infidels  has  fallen,  but  we  know  nothing  for 
certain." 

Without  pausing  they  took  the  two  prisoners,  whose  ap- 
pearance had  created  no  surprise,  as  they  were  taken  for 
natives,  to  the  chief's  tower,  a  much  larger  building  than  the 
abodes  of  most  of  the  petty  chiefs.  Standing  upon  a  crag 
of  rock,  it  overlooked  the  village;  entrance  was  only  obtain- 
able by  a  ladder  leading  to  a  door  some  thirty  feet  above 
the  rock.  Their  coming  had  been  observed.  An  old  man 
stood  at  the  door. 

"So  you  are  back,  Suffyd?" 

"  Yes,  as  you  see.    Has  the  chief  returned  ?  " 

"No;  it  is  two  weeks  since  we  saw  him  last.  He  started 
then  with  all  the  fighting  men  from  here  and  the  other 
villages;  but  I  expect  it  will  not  be  long  before  he  returns, 
for,  from  what  we  have  heard,  the  work  must  be  nearly  done." 

The  party  ascended  the  ladder,  and  the  leader  spoke  a 
word  or  two  with  the  old  man,  who  looked  greatly  sur- 
prised. The  captives  were  taken  into  a  room,  which  by  its 
furnishing  was  evidently  one  of  the  chief's  private  apart- 
ments. 

"You  are  free  to  move  about  the  house,"  the  leader  said, 
"  but  you  must  not  leave  it." 

In  a  few  minutes  a  woman  entered,  bringing  a  dish  of 
boiled  grain  with  portions  of  mutton  in  it.  She  gave  the 
usual  Afghan  salutation.  She  was  followed  by  another 
woman  with  a  jug  of  water,  two  mugs,  and  a  bottle.  These 
were  placed  on  a  low  table,  and  then  without  another  word 
they  left  the  room.  A  minute  later  they  returned  with  a 
large  earthenware  dish  full  of  burning  charcoal. 

"  This  is  a  good  beginning,  Azim,"  Angus  said,  his  spirits 


ANNIHILATION  OF  THE  ABMY  275 

rising  at  the  sight  of  the  hot  food;  for  although  they  had 
not  been  actually  starved,  they  had  been  on  extremely  short 
rations  when  their  supply  of  flour  was  exhausted,  their  cap- 
tors being,  like  themselves,  reduced  to  a  handful  of  unground 
grain  each  day.  "  This  does  not  look  as  if  they  meant  to 
cut  our  throats.  Evidently  our  Afghan  is  acting  under 
orders.  Those  orders  must  have  been  that  we  were  to  be  well 
treated." 

They  ate  a  hearty  meal ;  then  Angus  said : 

"  See  what  there  is  in  that  bottle,  Azim." 

The  cork  had  already  been  taken  out,  and  Azim  poured 
some  of  the  liquor  into  a  tin,  and  handed  it  to  his  master. 
The  latter  smelt  it. 

"  It  is  Afghan  spirits,"  he  said,  "  the  same  as  they  sell  in 
the  bazaars  in  Cabul." 

He  filled  it  up  with  water,  and  drank  it  off. 

"  Now,  Azim,  do  you  do  the  same." 

Azim,  who  was  not  a  very  strict  Mohammedan,  and  had 
more  than  once  tasted  the  forbidden  drink  at  Cabul,  needed 
no  pressing. 

"Well,  master,"  he  said,  as  he  put  the  cup  down,  "after 
all  this  is  better  than  lying  dead  and  frozen  down  in  the 
pass." 

Angus,  warmed  with  the  good  meal  and  by  the  draught 
that  he  had  taken,  could  not  disagree  with  his  follower. 

"  I  begin  to  think  that  you  are  right,  Azim,  though  I 
did  not  believe  so  yesterday.  It  is  certain  that  had  I  joined 
my  countrymen  I  should  have  perished  with  them,  and  as- 
suredly I  have  been  saved  from  eight  days  of  awful  suffer- 
ing and  from  death — if,  indeed,  we  are  saved  from  death." 

"I  think  we  can  feel  certain  of  that,  master.  This  is 
not  the  way  the  Afghans  treat  a  man  whose  throat  they 
intend  to  cut.  They  certainly  do  not  make  a  pillau  for 
him,  or  provide  him  with  a  bottle  of  spirits." 


276  .        TO  HERAT  AND  CABUL 

"Do  you  know,  I  have  been  thinking,  Azim,"  Angus  said 
after  a  short  silence,  "that  if  it  had  been  possible  for 
Sadut  Khan  to  know  that  we  intended  to  leave  camp  in 
disguise,  this  might  be  his  work  again.  But  he  could  not 
have  known  it.  No  one  but  you  and  I,  and  Major  Pot- 
tinger,  and  the  three  or  four  officers  to  whom  I  said  good- 
bye, knew  anything  about  it.  Besides,  he  would  have  sent 
the  men  who  captured  us  before,  and  who  knew  us  by  sight. 
And  even  supposing,  which  seems  to  be  impossible,  that  this 
was  his  doing,  why  not  have  sent  us  here  straight,  instead 
of  taking  eight  days  to  do  a  journey  that  could  have  been 
made  easily  in  two,  and  forcing  me  to  witness  the  awful 
scenes  in  the  passes  ?  It  is  all  most  extraordinary.' 

"  However,  there  is  no  question,  sir,  that  whoever  our 
captor  may  be,  he  has  been  the  means  of  saving  our 
lives." 

"  There  can  be  no  doubt  of  that,  Azim ;  and  though  I 
may  not  feel  that  at  present,  I  shall  in  the  future  be  very 
grateful  to  him.  Even  if  he  were  to  have  us  shot  directly 
he  comes  here,  I  should  still  be  grateful,  for  it  would  be 
a  sudden  death  and  not  a  lingering  one,  as  it  has  been  to 
those  below.  Well,  it  is  of  no  use  puzzling  ourselves  over 
the  matter.  I  suppose  we  shall  learn  how  it  all  came 
about  when  the  chief,  whoever  he  be,  returns  here.  In  the 
meantime  we  are  certainly  a  great  deal  better  off  than  we 
have  been  for  the  past  two  months  in  cantonments." 

"  That  we  are,  master.  To  begin  with,  I  am  warm  for 
the  first  time  since  the  winter  set  in;  and  in  the  next  place, 
I  have  had  a  good  meal,  and  do  not  feel  that  I  could 
grumble  at  anything.  As  to  your  mission,  you  said  your- 
self that  nothing  could  come  of  it,  even  if  you  succeeded 
in  getting  through,  so  that  in  that  respect  nothing  has 
been  lost  by  our  journey  being  so  suddenly  brought  to  an 
end." 


ANNIHILATION  OP  THE  ABMY  277 

The  next  day  some  of  the  men  who  had  been  away  with 
their  chief  returned,  and  the  old  man  in  charge  told  Angus 
that  only  one  man  out  of  all  who  had  started  from  Cabul  had 
reached  Jellalabad,  but  that  several  officers  had  been  taken 
as  hostages,  including  the  two  generals,  Major  Pottinger 
and  Captain  Johnson,  and  two  others;  also,  that  all  the 
ladies  and  children,  and  the  ladies'  husbands,  had  accepted 
the  protection  of  Akbar. 

It  was  a  relief,  indeed,  to  Angus  to  find  that  his  friends 
Pottinger  and  Johnson  had  been  saved,  and  as  Captain  Boyd 
was  one  of  the  married  officers,  he  also  must  have  escaped 
the  massacre.  As  to  the  fate  of  Elphinstone  and  Shelton 
he  was  indifferent,  it  was  to  them  that  the  misfortune  that 
had  befallen  the  army  was  largely  due;  but  the  thought 
that  his  three  greatest  friends  had  escaped  gave  him  much 
pleasure.  With  these  exceptions,  that  but  one  man  out  of 
sixteen  thousand  five  hundred  should  have  escaped  was  ap- 
palling. That  the  loss  had  been  terrible  he  was  well  aware, 
but  he  was  hardly  prepared  for  the  total  annihilation  of 
the  force. 

Another  two  days  passed.  They  continued  to  be  well  fed 
and  treated,  and  the  women  who  waited  upon  them  seemed 
to  regard  them  as  guests  rather  than  as  captives,  talking 
freely  with  them,  and  only  being  silent  when  Angus  en- 
deavoured to  find  out  the  name  of  their  chief.  It  was  evi- 
dent that  on  this  point  they  had  orders  to  keep  silent.  On 
the  third  day  they  heard  a  stir  in  the  village,  and  shouts  of 
acclamation  and  welcome.  The  room  in  which  they  were 
confined  was  at  the  back  of  the  house,  and  they  were  there- 
fore unable  to  obtain  a  view  of  what  was  passing. 

"  We  shall  learn  our  fate  now,  Azim,"  Angus  said. 

"I  have  no  fear  of  its  being  a  bad  one,  master.  We 
cannot  doubt  that  orders  were  given  that  we  should  be  well 
treated.  If  we  are  kept  prisoners  till  the  spring,  for  my; 


278  TO  HERAT  AND  CABUL 

part  I  shall  not  grumble  if  they  continue  to  treat  us  as  well 
as  they  have  been  doing." 

They  heard  the  sound  of  many  footsteps  and  loud  talk- 
ing, then  the  door  opened  and  Sadut  Khan  entered.  He 
advanced  with  both  hands  outstretched  to  Angus. 

"  My  dear  friend,"  he  said,  "  how  thankful  I  am  that  you 
have  been  saved  where  so  many  have  perished ! " 

"  And  so  it  is  you,  chief,  to  whom  I  owe  my  life  ? "  Angus 
said,  returning  the  warm  grasp  of  Sadut's  hand.  "  I  did 
not  thank  you  at  first,  for  it  seemed  to  me  shameful  that 
an  English  officer  should  not  share  in  the  fate  of  his  com- 
rades." 

Sadut  smiled.  "But  in  no  case  would  you  have  shared 
their  fate.  It  is  not  from  that  I  have  saved  you,  but  from 
being  killed  on  your  way  down.  Knowing  that  the  passes 
were  full  of  our  people,  I  was  sure  that  you  must  have 
been  taken  and  murdered.  No  story  you  could  have  told 
would  have  availed  you.  You  were  not  a  Ghilzye,  nor  a 
member  of  any  of  the  tribes  there,  and  you  would  assuredly 
have  been  detected  and  killed  had  I  not  saved  you." 

"  That  is  so,  Sadut ;  and  although  at  first  I  was  half-mad 
at  being  unable  to  join  my  countrymen,  I  saw  before  the 
end  came  that,  had  I  done  so,  my  life  would  have  been 
thrown  away  uselessly." 

"Exactly;  and  that  was  why  I  ordered  that  you  should 
be  enabled  to  see  all  that  passed.  From  what  I  had  seen 
of  you,  I  was  sure  that  at  first  you  would  bitterly  resent 
being  taken  prisoner,  and  that  even  if  you  knew  into 
whose  hands  you  had  fallen  you  would  resist;  and  it  was 
for  that  reason  that  I  did  not  this  time  employ  Hassan  and 
his  followers  to  seize  you,  though  all  through  your  journey 
they  kept  close  at  hand,  to  use  my  name  and  authority 
should  any  party  of  tribesmen  meet  you — not  that  I  had 
much  fear  of  your  detection  had  they  done  so.  The  men 


ANNIHILATION  OF  THE  AEMY  279 

with  you  had  orders  that  in  case  they  did  meet  such  a 
party,  they  were  to  treat  you  both,  not  as  captives,  but 
as  forming  part  of  their  own  band.  Still,  it  was  as  well 
that  Hassan  should  be  at  hand  in  case  of  need." 

"I  thank  you  with  all  my  heart,  Sadut.  I  could  not 
have  done  so  at  first,  but  I  can  do  so  now;  you  have  indeed 
saved  my  life.  A  few  days  ago  that  seemed  to  me  as  nothing, 
for  I  felt  that  I  was  dishonoured  in  looking  on  at  the  massa- 
cre of  my  countrymen.  I  have  had  time  to  think  it  over 
since,  and  I  now  know  that  the  view  I  took  was  exaggerated. 
Could  I  have  joined  them  it  was  plainly  my  duty  to  have 
done  so,  but  if  I  was  a  prisoner  no  blame  could  attach  to 
me.  Have  you,  chief,  taken  part  in  this  terrible  business  ? " 

"  No.  With  twenty  of  my  own  horsemen  I  rode  with 
Akbar,  who  is  my  friend  and  relative,  but  I  had  no  inten- 
tion of  drawing  my  sword  against  your  people.  I  knew 
that  they  had  been  promised  protection,  and  I. thought  that 
Akbar  and  his  force  were  going  to  escort  them.  His  word 
had  been  given,  and  I  did  not  think  he  would  withdraw  it. 

"  I  do  not  think  it  was  his  intention  to  do  so.  He  could 
have  done  much  more  than  he  did,  but  he  could  not  have 
saved  the  fugitives.  The  Nawab  was  alone  among  the 
Afghan  chiefs  in  the  sincerity  of  his  assurances.  Akbar 
had  no  influence  with  the  Ghilzye  chiefs,  and  even  had  he 
influenced  them  they  could  not  have  restrained  their  tribes- 
men and  the  Ghazees.  The  die  was  cast.  It  was  Allah's  will 
that  those  who  had  invaded  the  country  without  any  pre- 
text, dethroned  Dost  Mahomed,  who  had  eagerly  sought  their 
alliance,  and  forced  a  man  we  all  hated  upon  us,  should 
meet  their  fate.  Over  and  over  again  we  implored  Akbar, 
for  the  sake  of  his  pledge  and  his  word,  to  assist  your  people; 
even  if,  in  his  efforts  to  do  so,  he  fell,  then  his  name  would 
go  down  as  long  as  our  nation  existed  as  one  who  died  in 
defence  of  his  oath  and  his  honour.  He  was  all  along 


280  TO  HEEAT  AND  CABUL 

irresolute.  At  times  he  did  his  best  short  of  attacking  the* 
Ghilzyes,  at  other  times  he  held  aloof  altogether  from  the 
scene.  At  any  rate,  I  can  feel  that  my  honour  is  not 
soiled.  I  was  not  one  of  those  who  signed  the  treaty,  but  I 
have  done  my  best  to  prevent  that  treaty  from  being  violated. 
Had  your  people  sallied  out  from  the  cantonments  and  given 
us  battle,  I  should  have  fought  against  them.  But  even  had 
there  been  no  treaty,  I  would  not  have  taken  part  in  the 
massacre  of  men  who  were  practically  defenceless,  and  who 
were  in  no  way  responsible  for  the  crime  of  their  govern- 
ment." 

"I  am  glad  to  hear  you  say  so,  chief.  I  should  have 
been  grieved  indeed  had  you  taken  part  in  so  treacherous 
and  terrible  a  massacre.  But  how  did  you  learn  that  I  was 
going  to  try  to  make  my  way  down  to  Jellalabad?  That  I 
have  never  been  able  to  understand." 

"I  kept  a  watch  over  you  the  whole  time,  my  friend. 
Either  Hassan,  or  one  of  his  men  who  knew  you,  was 
always  in  the  camp,  dressed  as  one  of  the  camp  followers." 

"  But  even  then  I  cannot  imagine  how  he  could  have 
told  that  I  was  going.  I  knew  it  myself  but  a  few  hours 
before  I  started,  and  only  Major  Pottinger  and  three  or 
four  of  my  friends  were  aware  of  it." 

"  My  watch  was  a  good  one,"  the  chief  said,  "  and  when 
two  Afghans  issued  from  your  tent  you  may  be  sure  the 
news  was  quickly  brought  to  the  men  who  had  for  some 
days  been  lying  in  readiness,  and  who  were  prepared  to  re- 
peat the  adventure  in  the  city." 

Suddenly,  to  the  astonishment  of  Angus,  Azim  threw  him- 
self on  his  knees.  "  Master !  "  he  exclaimed,  "  you  can  kill 
me,  but  I  own  that  it  was  I  who  betrayed  you.  I  had  met 
Hassan  in  the  camp,  and  he  told  me  that  assuredly  no  white 
man  would  escape  alive,  that  it  was  settled  that  all  should 


ANNIHILATION  OF  THE  ABMY  281 

be  attacked  and  slain  in  the  passes.  He  said  that  Sadut 
Khan  had  resolved  to  save  you,  but  that  to  do  this  with 
certainty  it  would  be  necessary  that  he  should  be  informed 
as  to  your  movements,  and  where  you  would  ride  when  the 
army  started.  He  said  that  unless  I  helped  them  it  might 
be  impossible  to  save  you.  Then  I  agreed  to  do  so,  and 
met  him  or  one  of  his  men  every  day.  As  soon  as  you 
had  left  the  tent  after  telling  me  of  your  expedition,  I  ran 
to  the  spot  where  I  knew  I  should  find  Hassan,  and  told 
him  that  we  were  going  alone.  He  said  at  once  that  it 
would  be  certain  death  were  you  to  try  to  go  down  the  pass, 
and  that  you  must  be  carried  off  as  soon  as  you  had  left 
the  camp.  I  knew  well  that  you  would  be  greatly  angered, 
and  that  if  you  suspected  me  you  would  kill  me  for  my 
treachery;  but  that  was  nothing  compared  to  your  life,  and 
so  I  turned  traitor  to  you,  and  am  willing  now  that  you 
should  order  me  to  be  taken  out  and  beheaded." 

Angus  held  out  his  hand  to  his  faithful  follower.  "  I 
should  have  been  angry  at  first — grieved  and  angry  too,  but 
I  cannot  be  angry  now.  You  did  what  you  believed  to  be 
best  for  me,  and  I  acknowledge  that  it  has  turned  out  so. 
Your  treachery  was  but  an  act  of  fidelity,  and  undoubtedly 
was  the  means  of  saving  my  life.  You  did  wrong,  but  it 
was  with  the  best  intentions.  You  ought  to  have  confided 
in  me." 

"But  I  knew  that  if  I  did  so  you  would  not  have  con- 
sented." 

"  That  is  true  enough ;  still,  I  was  the  best  judge  of  what 
was  consistent  with  my  honour.  However,  next  to  Sadut 
Khan  I  owe  you  my  life,  and  it  would  be  but  poor  gratitude 
were  I  to  reproach  you.  Let  us  say  no  more  about  it.  I 
shall  remember  always  that  you  saved  my  life,  and  shall 
forget  that  you  somewhat  betrayed  my  trust.  I  have  for 


282  TO  HERAT  AND  CABUL 

four  years  past  regarded  you  as  my  friend  rather  than  as 
my  servant,  and  I  shall  esteem  you  even  more  so  in  the 
future." 

Azim  retired  with  tears  of  joy  in  his  eyes.  Sadut  and 
Angus  had  a  long  talk  together.  As  if  by  mutual  consent, 
the  subject  of  the  late  events  was  avoided,  and  the  con- 
versation was  upon  their  journey  across  the  Bamian  and 
Sadut's  doings  since  that  time. 

"I  stayed  at  Khooloom  until  the  governor,  whom  we 
had  trusted  implicitly,  handed  over  Dost  Mahomed's  family 
and  mine  to  your  people.  I  happened  to  be  away  at  the  time, 
and  on  my  return  two  days  later  was  warned  by  Hassan  of 
what  had  taken  place.  When  Dost  returned  from  captivity 
among  the  Turkomans,  of  course  I  joined  him  and  accom- 
panied him  to  Kohistan,  and  fought  by  his  side  in  the 
battle  of  Purwandurrah.  The  Ameer  had  said  no  word  even 
to  me  of  his  intention  to  surrender,  and  I  was  thunder-struck 
when  I  heard  that  he  had  given  himself  up.  I  remained 
there,  and  took  part  in  the  attack  on  the  Ghoorlca  regiment 
at  Charekar.  After  that  I  returned  home.  My  fortress,  as 
you  know,  lies  far  to  the  west  among  the  Momunds.  This 
place  does  not  belong  to  me,  but  to  the  husband  of  a  sister  of 
mine.  She  is  at  present  at  my  place  with  her  husband,  who 
is  ill;  and  as  I  wished  to  be  nearer  to  the  scene  of  action, 
he  begged  me  to  use  his  fort  as  a  residence.  I  desired  to 
hold  myself  aloof  from  the  negotiations,  as  I  knew  that 
most  of  the  chiefs  were  open  at  any  moment  to  betray  the 
cause  for  British  gold.  Still,  I  was  often  down  in  the  city, 
where  I  own  the  house  to  which  you  were  taken.  I  no  longer 
hated  your  people  as  infidels — your  kindness  to  me  showed 
me  that  there  was  goodness  in  your  religion  as  well  as  in 
mine — but  I  was  still  ready  to  fight  against  them  as  the 
invaders  of  my  country." 

"  And  now,  chief,  what  do  you  propose  to  do  with  me  ? " 


ANNIHILATION  OF  THE  ARMY  283 

"That  is  for  you  to  decide,  my  friend.  I  know  what 
you  will  say,  but,  though  I  may  regret  it  deeply,  I  shall 
certainly  offer  no  opposition.  You  are  my  guest,  and  it 
is  not  for  me  to  dictate  to  you.  I  should  be  happy  if  you 
would  stay  with  me  till  these  troubles  have  passed,  but 
I  place  myself  wholly  at  your  disposal,  whatever  you  may 
decide  upon." 

"  Thank  you,  indeed.  It  is  clear  to  me  that  if  it  is  in  my 
power  I  should  immediately  rejoin  our  forces." 

"I  was  sure  that  that  would  be  your  wish,  and  I  will 
send  you  down  with  a  strong  escort  to  Peshawur." 

"  I  would  rather  join  Sale  at  Jellalabad." 

Sadut  Khan  shook  his  head.  "  In  that  case,"  he  said, 
"  I  shall  have  rescued  you  in  vain.  Sale's  force  is  already 
besieged,  and  it  will  be  but  a  repetition  of  Cabul.  By  orders 
of  Akbar  Khan,  the  Ghilzye  chiefs  have  all  risen.  The  town 
is  practically  without  fortifications,  though  I  hear  that  the 
white  soldiers  have  been  labouring  hard  to  put  the  place 
in  a  state  of  defence.  But  if  the  army  at  Cabul  could  not 
withstand  us,  still  less  will  Sale's  force,  which  is  only  a 
third  of  its  strength,  hold  Jellalabad." 

"  You  forget,  chief,  that  they  are  commanded  by  a  man, 
and  not  by  an  utterly  incapable  person.  They  are  not  dis- 
pirited by  forced  inaction  or  want  of  food.  I  do  not  say 
that  Jellalabad  may  not  be  taken,  but  I  feel  sure  that  it 
will  offer  a  sturdy  resistance,  and  the  news  of  what  has 
happened  in  the  passes  will  only  fill  the  soldiers  with  fury. 
At  any  rate,  Sale's  is  the  only  force  that  remains  of  the 
army  to  which  I  was  attached,  and  it  is  there  that  it  is 
my  duty,  with  your  permission,  to  go.  I  am  sure  that 
were  you  in  my  place  that  would  also  be  your  decision." 

"  So  be  it,"  Sadut  said  after  a  long  pause.  "  Were  you 
to  go  to  Peshawur  you  might  meet  your  death  there  also, 
as  doubtless  a  force  will  endeavour  to  relieve  Jellalabad, 


284  TO  HERAT  AND  OABUL 

and  in  that  case  you  would  certainly  go  with  them.  They 
will  never  force  their  way  through  the  Khyber  Pass.  From 
what  I  hear  the  Sepoys  at  Peshawur  are  almost  in  a  state 
of  mutiny.  The  Sikhs  have  sapped  their  loyalty,  and  have 
assured  them  that  they  will  never  be  able  to  force  the 
pass;  and  when  they  do  move  forward  they  cannot  be  de- 
pended upon  to  stand  by  the  British  troops  so  that  your 
danger  may  be  as  great  one  way  as  another.  However,  Jel- 
lalabad  is  your  choice  and  not  mine.  The  citadel  there 
is  strong,  and  when  the  town  is  captured,  as  it  certainly 
will  be  soon,  the  troops  can  retire  there,  and  may  hold  out 
until  they  make  terms  and  are  allowed  to  return  to  India." 

"  I  do  not  think  they  will  make  terms,  Sadut.  They 
have  had  a  terrible  lesson  as  to  the  manner  in  which 
treaties  are  respected  by  the  greater  portion  of  your  chiefs, 
and  are  not  likely  to  trust  again  to  any  promises,  but  will 
hold  out  until  they  have  fired  their  last  cartridge." 

"  They  cannot  hope  to  defend  themselves,"  Sadut  said 
positively.  "Akbar  Khan  will  himself  head  the  army." 

"  I  do  not  think,  Sadut,  that  you  know  yet  what  a  British 
soldier  can  do  when  well  led.  There  has  been  no  great  battle 
fought  since  we  entered  Afghanistan,  and  you  must  not 
judge  them  by  the  small  fights  that  took  place  round  Cabul ; 
the  soldiers  there  had  lost  heart  and  confidence  in  their  com- 
mander. It  will  be  a  very  different  thing  when  you  meet 
them  confident  in  themselves  and  in  their  leaders.  Believe 
me,  your  hosts,  however  large,  do  not  frighten  them.  You 
know  how  they  have  overcome  many  of  the  best  fighting  races 
in  India,  and  that  in  the  teeth  of  odds  as  great  as  can  be 
brought  against  them  here.  I  say  not  a  word  against  the 
courage  of  your  people,  but  they  want  discipline  and  train- 
ing, and  even  a  "host  of  men  fighting  each  for  himself,  cannot 
withstand  the  charge  of  well-disciplined  soldiers." 


ANNIHILATION  OF  THE  ARMY  285 

"  Why  did  they  not  come  up  the  passes,  then,  to  aid  their 
friends." 

"Because  they  were  deficient  in  carriage,  they  were  in  a 
country  altogether  hostile  to  them,  they  had  many  sick,  and 
must  have  left  a  strong  force  to  guard  them.  There  may 
have  been  other  reasons  of  which  I  know  not,  but  these  are 
sufficient.  For  a  force  to  enter  these  passes  without  animak 
to  carry  their  food  and  their  wounded  would  have  been 
madness.  And  I  believe  that  Sale  has  not  more  than  twelve 
hundred  bayonets,  a  force  sufficient  to  do  wonders  in  the 
plains,  but  which  could  hardly  fight  their  way  up  the  passes 
against  thousands  of  good  marksmen,  as  the  Afghans  as- 
suredly are,  armed  with  guns  which  carry  much  farther  than 
their  own,  and  firing  in  safety  behind  inaccessible  rocks. 
But  whether  Jellalabad  can  resist  all  attacks,  as  I  believe, 
or  whether  the  place  falls,  is  a  matter  which  does  not  affect 
my  resolution.  It  is  my  duty  to  be  there,  and  if  you  will 
afford  me  means  of  getting  there  I  will  assuredly  go." 

"  We  will  start  to-morrow,  then,  and  the  sooner  we  are  off 
the  better.  The  news  of  what  has  happened  in  the  passes 
will  spread  like  flame  through  the  country,  and  every  fight- 
ing man  will  turn  out  to  complete  the  work.  There  is  a 
pathway  from  here  which  goes  straight  down  to  Gundamuck. 
I  will  ride  with  you  with  half  a  dozen  of  my  followers;  there 
are  plenty  of  ponies  on  the  hills.  Certainly  no  questions 
will  be  asked,  no  suspicions  can  arise.  When  we  get  near 
Jellalabad  we  shall  see  how  you  can  best  enter.  I  will  ride 
round  the  place  with  you.  As  I  am  a  friend  of  Akbar's,  it 
will  be  supposed  that  I  am  examining  the  place  to  see  where 
an  attack  had  best  be  made.  There  are  many  orchards  and 
small  villages  round.  When  we  are  as  near  the  town  as  we 
can  get,  you  can  slip  from  your  horse  as  we  go  through  an 
orchard.  Keep  under  cover  in  the  gardens  until  close  to  the 


286  TO  HERAT  AND  OABUL 

walls.    When  you  get  within  musket-shot  you  can  tie  a  white 
cloth  to  your  gun,  and  you  will  then  be  safe." 

This  plan  was  carried  out,  and  two  days  later,  after  a 
grateful  parting  from  his  preserver,  Angus  stood  at  the  edge 
of  the  moat  opposite  one  of  the  gates. 


CHAPTEK 

JELLALABAD 

A  SENTRY  had  already  sent  down  word  that  two  Afghans 
-T\_  had  approached  carrying  a  white  flag,  and  an  officer 
appeared  on  the  wall. 

"  What  do  you  want  ? "  he  asked. 

"We  want  to  come  in,  Thompson.  I  am  Angus  Camp- 
bell, and  have  escaped  almost  by  a  miracle." 

There  was  a  shout  of  pleasure,  and  a  minute  later  the 
gate  was  opened,  and  Thompson  ran  out  and  warmly  shook 
Angus  by  the  hand. 

"  I  am  delighted  to  see  you,"  he  said.  "  We  all  thought 
you  among  the  slain  in  the  passes.  What  an  awful  time 
it  has  been  since  we  left  Cabul  on  our  way,  as  we  believed, 
to  India!  We  can  scarcely  believe  the  terrible  news  even 
now.  We  have  learnt  but  little  from  Brydon,  who  was,  he 
thought,  the  only  survivor,  except  the  hostages  who,  he  tells 
us,  were  given  over  a  few  days  before  the  end  came.  He  was 
desperately  wounded,  and  could  scarce  sit  his  horse  when 
he  arrived,  and  has  been  too  ill  to  give  us  any  details." 

"  I  can  give  very  little,  for  I  was  not  with  the  army.  I 
started  the  evening  before  they  left  camp,  on  a  mission  from 
Pottinger  to  Sir  Robert  Sale.  Pottinger  did  not  think  that 
any  help  could  possibly  come,  but  at  the  same  time  he  thought 


JELLALABAD  287 

it  right  to  make  one  more  effort  to  communicate  with  your 
general,  and  to  tell  him  that  they  were  on  the  point  of 
starting.  I  had  g'one  but  a  short  distance  when  I  was  cap- 
tured. Fortunately  the  men  who  took  me  were  followers  of 
Sadut  Khan.  I  was  taken  to  his  fort.  He  was  absent  at 
the  time;  when  he  returned  he  at  once  gave  me  my  liberty, 
and  escorted  me  to  within  a  quarter  of  a  mile  of  the  wall, 
as  a  return  for  a  service  I  had  rendered  him  two  years  ago." 

u  That  was  a  piece  of  luck  indeed.  Then  you  saw  nothing 
of  it?" 

"  Yes,  I  saw  a  great  deal.  My  captors  were,  I  suppose, 
anxious  to  see  what  was  going  on,  and  we  followed  the  course 
of  the  army,  keeping  on  the  hill;  and,  except  for  the  fighting 
at  night,  I  saw  almost  the  whole  of  the  tragedy." 

While  they  were  talking  they  were  approaching  the  head- 
quarters of  the  general.  Angus  was  well  known  to  Sir 
Robert,  to  whom  he  had  often  carried  messages  and  notes 
from  Burnes  or  Macnaghten.  When  their  first  greeting  was 
over,  he  repeated  the  story  he  had  told  Captain  Thompson. 
He  thought  it  best  to  say  no  word  of  his  escape  being  the 
result  of  a  preconcerted  plan  on  the  part  of  Sadut  Khan, 
as  he  felt  that  some  might  suspect  that  he  was  privy  to  the 
scheme,  and  had  taken  advantage  of  the  friendship  of  the 
Momund  chief  to  make  his  escape. 

"  I  am  not  so  surprised  as  I  might  otherwise  have  been," 
the  general  said,  "  since  I  received  a  letter  from  Pottinger 
yesterday.  Akbar  had  allowed  him  to  send  it  down,  think- 
ing that  the  information  that  Elphinstone,  Shelton,  Law- 
rence, Mackenzie,  and  Pottinger  himself  were  all  right  might 
induce  us  to  submit  to  terms.  He  said,  '  I  trust  that  bef  oro 
this  you  will  have  heard  that  we  are  about  to  start  from  Mr. 
Angus  Campbell,  who  nobly  accepted  the  desperate  mission 
of  penetrating  through  the  passes  and  bringing  you  word 
of  our  intention.  Should  he  have  arrived  safely,  I  beg  to 


288  TO  HERAT  AND  OABUL 

recommend  him  most  strongly  to  the  authorities  for  accept- 
ing the  mission,  which  seemed  almost  a  hopeless  one.  He 
has  rendered  great  service  during  the  time  the  troops  have 
been  in  cantonments,  by  aiding  the  commissariat  officers  in 
bringing  in  grain.'  As  you  had  not  arrived  we  naturally 
feared  that  you  had  been  murdered  on  your  way  down.  I 
am  glad  indeed  that  you  have  escaped.  You  will  now,  of 
course,  give  your  assistance  to  Macgregor,  our  political 
officer." 

"  If  he  cannot  utilize  my  services,  sir,  and  he  can  have 
but  little  political  work  to  do  now,  I  shall  be  glad  if  you 
will  attach  me  to  one  of  the  regiments  where  you  think  I 
may  be  most  useful." 

"You  had  better  talk  it  over  with  Macgregor  first.  You 
know  him,  of  course;  and  if  he  does  not  want  you,  I  will 
attach  you  to  my  own  staff.  With  your  knowledge  of  the 
Afghan  language,  your  services  might  be  invaluable  in  ob- 
taining information;  or,  should  we  make  a  sortie — and  we 
have  already  made  one  with  effect — I  should  be  glad,  if  you 
wish  it,  to  attach  you  either  to  the  infantry  or  cavalry,  which- 
ever you  prefer.  Now  that  you  have  told  us  about  yourself, 
please  give  us  any  details  you  can  of  what  you  saw  of  the 
fighting?" 

"It  can  hardly  be  said  that  there  was  any  fighting,  sir; 
until  the  last  day  the  troops  were  so  completely  surrounded, 
and  I  may  say  overwhelmed  by  the  camp  followers,  that  they 
were  practically  unable  to  use  their  arms.  General  Shelton 
with  the  rear-guard  fought  nobly,  and  covered  the  retreat 
into  Jugduluk,  until  the  time  when  he  was  enticed  with  the 
general  into  Akbar's  camp,  and  there  held  as  a  hostage. 
By  what  I  heard,  the  handful  of  men  left,  only  about  a 
hundred  and  fifty  all  told,  fought  desperately  to  break  their 
way  through  a  barricade  with  which  the  Afghans  had  blocked 
the  top  of  the  pass.  Only  ten  officers  succeeded  in  breaking 


TRTT.AT.ABAT)  289 

through,  and  of  these  all  but  one  were  killed  on  the  road. 
All  the  soldiers  died  fighting  at  the  barricade,  and  many 
officers.  The  last  Sepoy  had  fallen  two  days  before." 

"It  has  been  a  bad  business,"  General  Sale  said,  "bad 
not  only  in  its  terrible  result,  but  in  the  manner  in  which 
affairs  were  conducted.  We  here  received  with  astonishment 
the  news  that  four  thousand  five  hundred  British  troops 
were  cooped  up  by  a  horde  of  Afghans  without  one  single 
attempt  being  made  to  bring  on  a  battle  in  the  open.  Officers 
and  men  alike  were  astounded  when  Pottinger's  first  letter 
arrived,  saying  that  negotiations  were  continued  after  the 
murder  of  Macnaghten.  However,  all  this  is  a  matter  for 
future  investigation.  And  now  a  personal  question.  Can 
you  tell  me  how  it  was  that  my  wife,  Lady  Macnaghten, 
and  the  other  ladies,  escaped  uninjured?  I  only  know  from 
Pottinger  that  the  ladies  and  children  were  handed  over  to 
the  protection  of  Akbar,  and  that  those  who  had  husbands 
were  also  accompanied  by  them." 

"  The  ladies  were  always  kept  close  behind  the  advanced 
guard,  sir.  As  these  showed  an  unbroken  front,  the  Afghans 
allowed  them  to  pass  without  opposition,  falling  upon  the 
confused  mass  behind  them." 

"  Do  you  think  that  Akbar  was  a  sharer  in  this  treacherous 
attack?" 

"I  think  his  conduct  was  doubtful  in  the  extreme,  sir. 
He  certainly  did  try  more  than  once  to  persuade  the  Ghilyze 
chiefs  to  allow  the  survivors  to  pass  on  unmolested,  but  by 
that  time  the  passions  of  the  Afghans  were  absolutely  be- 
yond control.  I  myself  have  great  doubts  whether  he  would 
have  interfered  had  he  not  been  well  aware  that  his  inter- 
ference would  be  useless.  But  this  is  only  my  opinion,  based 
upon  the  facts,  that  in  the  first  place  he  himself  shot  Mac- 
naghten, whom  he  had  invited  to  a  conference;  in  the  second 
place,  he  took  no  step  whatever  to  carry  out  the  condition 

(M  807)  T 


290  TO  HERAT  AND  CABUL 

to  supply  baggage  animals  and  provisions;  and  lastly,  be- 
cause I  know  that  long  before  the  column  set  out  on  its 
march,  he  sent  out  orders  to  the  Ghilzye  chiefs  to  attack 
you." 

"  The  case  certainly  looks  very  black  against  him,"  the 
general  said ;  "  but  at  least  we  may  hope  that,  as  his  family 
are  in  our  hands  in  India,  he  will  protect  the  hostages." 

"I  hope,  sir,  that  he  will  hand  them  over  to  the  Nawab, 
who  appears  to  me  to  be  a  thoroughly  honest  man.  Un- 
doubtedly he  did  his  best  to  persuade  the  chiefs  to  agree 
to  the  treaty  with  us.  He  certainly  did  send  in  some  pro- 
visions to  the  camp,  and  generally  we  formed  a  high  opinion 
of  his  kindness  of  heart.  Your  fortifications  are  stronger 
than  I  expected  to  find  them,  from  what  I  have  heard,  sir." 

"  Yes,  the  men  have  worked  incessantly  at  them  ever  since 
we  came  here.  The  mud  walls  can  scarcely  be  said  to  have 
existed  when  we  marched  in.  There  was  no  parapet,  the 
ditch  was  filled  in  with  rubbish,  and  the  walls  had  so  crum- 
bled away  that  carts  could  cross  over  them  at  almost  every 
point.  Fortunately  the  men  were  in  good  heart,  and  all, 
Europeans  and  Sepoys,  have  worked  with  an  energy  beyond 
praise.  The  moat  has  been  cleared  out  and  filled  with  water, 
the  walls  have  been  scarped,  and  a  parapet  twelve  feet  high 
erected.  The  bastions  have  been  put  in  order;  and  though, 
had  we  been  seriously  attacked  at  first,  we  must  have  retired 
to  the  citadel,  we  are  now  ready  to  withstand  any  assault.''" 

Angus  next  went  to  Macgregor,  who  received  him  most 
warmly. 

"  I  am  glad  indeed  to  see  you,  Campbell.  Pottinger  men- 
tioned you  in  his  reports  as  doing  invaluable  service  with 
Boyd  and  Johnson.  You  will  not  find  much  in  our  line  here. 
When  the  sword  is  once  drawn,  there  is  nothing  for  us  to 
do  until  it  becomes  a  question  of  our  dictating  terms,  a  con- 
tingency not  likely  to  arise  for  some  time." 


.TFVLT.AT.ATUr>  291 

"Had  you  hard  fighting  to  get  here?"  Angus  asked. 

"No  fighting  at  all.  As  we  marched  down  from  Gunda- 
muck,  the  natives  all  supposed  that  we  were  on  our  way  to 
Peshawur,  and  when  we  suddenly  turned  and  marched  to- 
wards the  city,  it  was  too  late  for  them  to  think  of  resistance, 
and  they  simply  bolted  on  one  side  of  the  town  as  we  marched 
in  on  the  other.  We  were  bitterly  disappointed  when  we 
saw  the  state  of  the  walls,  and  it  was  a  question  for  some 
time  whether  we  should  not  content  ourselves  with  holding 
the  citadel  only.  But  it  was  at  last  determined,  for  a  time 
at  least,  to  hold  the  town,  as  our  retirement  to  the  citadel 
would  look  like  weakness.  Another  consideration  was,  that 
once  in  the  citadel  we  should  be  shut  up  entirely,  for,  as  you 
see,  it  stands  in  the  middle  of  the  town,  and  with  the  streets 
crowded  with  the  enemy,  there  would  be  no  getting  out  to 
obtain  provisions. 

"  The  result  has  proved  the  wisdom  of  the  step  we  took. 
The  walls  are  now  strong  enough  to  be  obstinately  defended, 
and  from  their  extent  we  have  been  able  to  sally  out  at  one 
gate  or  another  and  bring  in  provisions.  We  had  but  two 
days'  food  when  we  arrived  here;  now  we  have  succeeded  in 
gathering  in  a  sufficient  quantity  to  keep  the  troops  on  half 
rations  for  two  months,  and  I  hope  that  before  it  is  finished 
we  shall  be  relieved  from  Peshawur.  We  gave  the  natives 
a  handsome  thrashing  on  the  day  before  we  got  in  here. 
They  attacked  us  in  great  force,  trying  especially  to  carry 
off  our  baggage,  but  the  infantry  repulsed  them  splendidly. 
However,  they  came  on  to  renew  the  attack.  The  cavalry 
were  placed  in  ambush,  and  the  troops,  after  at  first  advanc- 
ing, suddenly  wheeled  round  and  went  off  at  the  double. 
The  enemy,  believing  that  they  had  achieved  a  great  victory, 
rushed  after  them.  As  soon  as  they  reached  an  open  space, 
the  cavalry  fell  upon  them.  For  months  they  had  been  in- 
active, being  of  no  use  among  the  hills.  Now  was  their 


292  TO  HERAT  AND  OABUL 

chance,  and  in  a  moment  they  were  in  the  thick  of  the 
Afghans.  They  made  terrible  havoc  among  them,  and  thus 
it  was  that  we  were  able  to  enter  the  town  without  further 
trouble.  The  next  day,  the  13th  of  November,  Broadfoot 
was  appointed  garrison  engineer.  He  had  a  small  corps  of 
sappers  with  him,  and  they  soon  set  to  work. 

"  On  the  morning  of  the  16th,  the  enemy  were  thick  in 
the  gardens  round  the  town,  the  principal  body  being  on 
the  hillside.  It  was  resolved  to  give  them  another  lesson. 
They  were,  as  could  be  seen  from  the  highest  point  in  the 
city,  some  five  thousand  strong,  and  Colonel  Monteith  of  the 
35th  Bengal  Infantry,  took  out  eleven  hundred  men  at  day- 
break. The  advance  was  covered  by  the  guns  which  had 
been  mounted  on  the  walls,  and  their  shrapnel  soon  drove 
the  enemy  into  the  open.  The  infantry  pressed  forward 
and  scattered  them,  and  the  cavalry  completed  their  rout. 
It  was  this  defeat  that  so  cowed  them  for  a  time,  that  I 
was  able  to  fetch  in  grain,  sheep,  firewood,  and  other  neces- 
saries. I  may  mention  that  I  took  upon  myself,  as  soon  as 
we  came  in  here,  the  post  of  commissariat  officer.  It  was 
not  until  the  end  of  the  month  that  they  again  mustered  in 
force  sufficient  to  attack  us;  they  contented  themselves  with 
hovering  round  and  keeping  up  a  desultory  fire. 

"  On  the  1st  of  December,  however,  they  gathered  in  great 
numbers,  and  seemed  to  threaten  an  attack.  Colonel  Dennie 
commanded  this  time,  and  he  took  out  the  greater  portion 
of  the  garrison  and  a  couple  of  guns.  It  was  noon  when  he 
sallied  out.  Abbot's  guns  commenced  the  action  by  pouring 
a  tremendous  fire  of  grape  into  the  thick  mass.  They  fled 
in  wild  confusion;  the  cavalry  cut  them  up  terribly,  and  the 
infantry  overtook  and  bayoneted  many  of  them.  It  could 
scarcely  be  called  a  fight.  The  day  was  won  directly  the 
guns  opened  fire,  and  we  did  not  lose  a  single  man.  Since 
that  time  they  have  not  ventured  to  attack  us. 


JELLALABAD  293 

"  News  came  day  after  day  of  the  terrible  mess  at  Cabul. 
The  news  was  kept  as  far  as  possible  from  the  troops,  so  as 
not  to  discourage  them;  but,  of  course,  since  Brydon  came 
in,  the  truth  of  the  terrible  massacre  had  to  be  told.  I  am 
happy  to  say  that,  although  filling  them  with  wrath  and 
indignation,  it  has  in  no  way  abated  their  spirit.  During 
the  six  weeks'  rest  we  have  had  since  the  battle  of  the  1st  of 
December,  we  have,  as  you  see,  really  done  wonders  in  the 
way  of  fortification,  and  consider  that  we  are  in  a  position 
to  repulse  any  attack  however  formidable." 

"  When  do  you  expect  that  a  relief  column  will  arrive  from 
Peshawur  ? " 

"  That  is  a  grave  question  which  I  cannot  answer.  Our 
last  news  was  that  Brigadier-general  Wyld  was  on  the  point 
of  advancing1,  but  from  the  tone  in  which  he  wrote  he  had 
evidently  no  great  hope  of  success.  His  four  Sepoy  regi- 
ments had  been  corrupted  by  the  Sikhs,  who,  having  them- 
selves a  great  repugnance  to  enter  the  passes,  had  endeav- 
oured, and  successfully,  to  inspire  the  Sepoys  with  the  same 
feeling.  The  Sikhs,  who  were  to  co-operate  with  him,  were 
themselves  in  a  state  of  open  mutiny,  and  threatened  to  kill 
General  Avitable  if  he  interfered  with  them.  He  intended, 
however,  to  advance,  as  the  case  was  so  urgent,  but  with 
little  hope  of  success.  He  was  without  cavalry,  and  had  but 
two  guns  on  Sikh  carriages,  which  would  probably  break 
down  after  a  few  rounds  had  been  fired.  It  was  the  letter  of 
a  brave  man  surrounded  with  difficulties,  but  ready  to  at- 
tempt almost  the  impossible  to  bring  aid  to  us.  I  fear,  how- 
ever, that  there  is  little  chance  of  our  relief  until  reinforce- 
ments from  India  reach  Peshawur." 

This  opinion  was  justified  when,  on  the  28th,  news  was 
brought  that  the  movement  had  failed.  On  the  15th  Colonel 
Moseley  had  started  under  cover  of  night  with  the  53rd  and 
64th  native  regiments  to  occupy  the  fortress  of  Ali  Musjid, 


294  TO  HEKAT  AND  CABUL 

which  had  been  held  by  a  small  corps  of  men  of  one  of  the 
native  tribes  under  Mr.  Mackeson.  They  had  been  true  to 
their  salt,  and  had  resisted  every  attack  of  the  Afridis. 
Moseley's  force  arrived  there  at  daybreak,  and  met  with  but 
little  opposition  on  the  way.  But  it  was  discovered  that, 
owing  to  some  blunder,  only  fifty  supply  bullocks  had  been 
sent  on  instead  of  three  hundred  and  fifty  that  should  have 
accompanied  the  force.  Therefore,  instead  of  having  a 
month's  provisions,  they  had  but  enough  for  a  few  days. 
Brigadier  Wyld  started  on  the  morning  of  the  19th  to  re- 
lieve them,  but  on  the  preceding  day  the  Sikh  troops  refused 
to  enter  the  pass  and  marched  back  to  Peshawur.  Neverthe- 
less, Wyld  determined  to  press  forward  with  the  two  native 
regiments.  As  soon,  however,  as  the  enemy  attacked  them  the 
Sepoys  at  the  head  of  the  column  wavered  and  opened  an 
aimless  fire. 

In  vain  the  Brigadier  and  the  officers  endeavoured  to  per- 
suade them  to  advance.  They  would  not  move  forward,  nor 
would  the  rest  of  the  troops  advance  to  their  assistance. 
The  two  guns  broke  down  after  a  round  or  two,  and  what 
little  spirit  remained  among  the  Sepoys  evaporated  at  once, 
and  the  column  had  to  fall  back.  One  of  the  guns  was  spiked 
and  left  behind,  the  Sepoys  refusing  to  make  any  effort  to 
bring  it  off.  The  Brigadier,  who  with  several  of  our  officers 
was  wounded,  saw  that  it  was  impossible  to  persevere,  and  the 
force  fell  back  beyond  the  pass.  Moseley  could  obtain  no 
news,  and  was  unaware  of  the  repulse  of  the  relieving  column. 
Although  the  troops  were  on  half  rations  supplies  were  nearly 
exhausted.  The  water  was  bad,  and  numbers  of  the  Sepoys 
fell  ill,  and  on  the  23rd  he  determined  to  evacuate  the  fort- 
ress. Two  officers  volunteered  to  hold  it,  but  the  Sepoys 
would  not  support  them,  and  the  former  native  garrison  had 
lost  heart;  so,  on  the  24th,  the  force  marched  out.  The 
Afridis  mustered  strongly  to  oppose  the  retreat.  The  Sepoys, 


.TETJ.AT.ATtAT)  295 

animated  now  by  the  hope  of  safety,  fought  well.  Two 
British  officers  were  killed,  most  of  the  baggage  lost,  and 
some  of  the  sick  and  wounded  had  to  be  abandoned,  but  the 
main  body  got  through  safely. 

Such  was  the  news  that  was  brought  by  a  native  in  our 
pay,  together  with  a  letter  from  Brigadier  Wyld  saying  that 
it  would  be  impossible  to  renew  the  attempt  until  reinforce- 
ments of  at  least  one  British  regiment  with  some  guns  ar- 
rived. But  the  news  that  help  was  still  far  distant  in  no 
way  discouraged  the  garrison  of  Jellalabad,  who  redoubled 
their  efforts  to  strengthen  the  fortifications  and  to  prepare 
by  their  own  unaided  efforts  for  the  worst. 

At  Peshawur  Wyld's  repulse  bore  the  natural  consequences. 
The  discontent  among  the  Sepoy's  increased,  many  deserted, 
and  expressions  of  determination  never  to  enter  the  pass 
again  were  common  among  them.  Sickness  broke  out,  and 
when  on  the  25th  of  February  General  Pollock,  who  had 
been  selected  to  command  the  force  gathered  there,  and  in- 
vested with  full  authority  on  all  other  matters,  arrived,  he 
found  a  thousand  men  in  hospital;  a  week  later  the  number 
was  increased  to  eighteen  hundred. 

No  better  man  than  Pollock  could  have  been  chosen.  He 
possessed  at  once  great  firmness,  kindness  of  heart,  and  a 
manner  calculated  to  inspire  confidence.  He  declared  to 
the  central  'authorities  at  once  that,  even  with  the  brigade 
which  had  come  up  with  him,  to  advance  up  the  pass  would 
be  to  court  another  defeat.  The  four  Sepoy  regiments  that 
had  been  engaged  could,  in  their  present  state,  not  be  counted 
on  for  service,  and  the  force  at  his  disposal  was  therefore 
no  greater  than  that  which  Wyld  had  lost.  He  set  to  work 
in  the  first  place  to  restore  confidence.  It  was  a  difficult 
task.  Many  even  among  the  officers  had  become  affected 
with  the  spirit  of  defection,  and  did  not  hesitate  to  express 
their  opinion  that  an  advance  through  the  Khyber  Pass  would 


296  TO  HERAT  AND  CABUL 

involve  a  repetition  of  the  Cabul  disaster.  The  new  Sepoy 
regiments  were  at  once  visited  by  emissaries  from  those  of 
Wyld's  brigade  and  from  the  Sikhs,  who  endeavoured  in 
every  way  to  persuade  them  also  to  refuse  to  enter  the  pass, 
and  succeeded  in  the  case  of  the  26th  native  regiment,  who 
joined  the  four  other  battalions  in  refusing  to  advance.  On 
the  day  after  his  arrival  General  Pollock  visited  all  the 
hospitals,  enquired  into  the  ailments  of  the  sick,  and  talked 
encouragingly  to  them.  Then  he  went  to  the  Sepoy  regi- 
ments, enquired  into  the  cause  of  their  discontent,  and  ex- 
horted them  to  return  to  their  duty,  and  not  to  bring  dis- 
grace upon  regiments  that  had  so  many  times  in  the  past 
proved  their  courage  and  loyalty. 

His  task  was  a  hard  and  difficult  one,  but  his  method  of 
mildness  and  firmness  combined  gradually  restored  their 
spirits  and  discipline;  and  the  knowledge  that  reinforce- 
ments were  on  their  way,  with  a  good  proportion  of  Euro- 
pean troops,  including  cavalry  and  artillery,  greatly  aided 
his  efforts.  Still,  until  these  reinforcements  arrived,  Pol- 
lock could  do  nothing  but  reply  to  the  urgent  letters  of  Sale 
and  Macgregor  by  pointing  out  his  inability  to  move. 

On  the  19th  of  February  Angus  was  with  Macgregor  on 
the  walls  of  Jellalabad.  The  men  were  as  usual  working 
hard  and  steadily,  grateful  in  the  thought  that  their  long 
labour  had  borne  its  fruits,  and  that  in  a  few  days  they 
would  be  able  to  lay  by  their  picks  and  shovels,  the  work 
that  they  had  been  set  to  do  having  been  accomplished. 

"Another  week,"  Captain  Havelock,  who  was  acting  as 
Persian  interpreter  to  Macgregor,  said  to  Angus,  "  and  the 
whole  work  which  Broadfoot  traced  out  will  be  finished.  In 
one  respect  I  am  sorry  that  it  should  be  so,  for  there  is 
nothing  like  active  work  for  keeping  men's  spirits  up  and 
preventing  them  from  feeling  the  effects  of  idleness.  I 
think — "  and  he  stopped  abruptly.  There  was  a  sudden 


JELLALABAD  297 

tremor  of  the  earth  and  a  deep  sound  like  thunder,  then 
they  were  both  thrown  off  their  feet.  The  walls,  the  houses, 
the  whole  city,  swayed  and  shook.  Then  came  the  crash  of 
falling  houses,  wild  shouts  of  alarm  and  pain;  the  earth 
crumbled  beneath  them,  and  they  rolled  down  together  into 
the  moat.  On  finding  that  they  were  unhurt  they  scrambled 
up  the  slope  of  earth.  A  terrible  sight  presented  itself.  A 
third  of  the  buildings  in  the  town  had  fallen.  But  this  was 
not  the  worst.  Several  of  the  bastions  had  been  destroyed ; 
almost  all  the  parapets  were  thrown  down;  several  great 
breaches  were  made  in  the  wall,  one  of  them  eighty  feet  in. 
length;  and  the  moat  had  in  many  places  been  filled  up 
with  the  debris  of  the  wall  and  parapet.  The  soldiers  were 
extricating  themselves  or  helping  their  comrades  from  the 
earth  that  had  almost  overwhelmed  them;  others  were  stand- 
ing gazing  with  a  dazed  air  at  the  destruction  that  had  been 
wrought. 

"We  had  better  go  to  head-quarters,"  Havelock  said, 
"  and  see  what  has  happened  there." 

They  made  their  way  with  difficulty  through  the  ruins 
that  blocked  the  streets.  The  movements  of  the  earth  still 
continued,  and  they  had  all  they  could  do  to  keep  their  feet. 
On  reaching  head-quarters  they  found  to  their  satisfaction 
that  all  was  safe.  The  general  and  Macgregor  had  both 
been  occupied  in  writing  despatches  to  Peshawur,  and  had 
rushed  out  into  the  little  courtyard  of  the  house.  The  offices 
round  it  fell  in  ruins  at  their  feet,  but  the  dwelling-house, 
although  it  swayed  to  and  fro,  did  not  fall.  Enquiries  were 
at  once  set  on  foot,  when  it  was  found  that  no  lives  had 
been  lost  among  the  garrison,  although  two  natives  had  been 
killed  by  the  fall  of  their  houses. 

No  time  was  lost.  The  whole  of  the  garrison  were  told 
off  into  working  parties,  and  in  half  an  hour  were  diligently 
at  work  repairing  the  wall  at  the  most  important  points. 


298  TO  HERAT  AND  CABUL 

They  worked  until  late  at  night,  by  which  time  the  breaches 
were  scarped,  the  rubbish  all  cleared  away,  and  the  ditches 
dug  out  again,  while  a  parapet  of  gabions  was  erected  along 
the  great  breach.  A  parapet  was  erected  on  the  remains -of 
the  bastion  which  flanked  the  approach  to  the  Cabul  gate, 
that  had  been  entirely  ruined,  a  trench  had  been  dug,  and 
a  temporary  parapet  raised  on  every  bastion  round  the  place. 
Never,  probably,  was  so  much  work  accomplished  by  an  equal 
number  of  men  in  the  same  time.  Day  after  day  the  work 
was  continued,  until  by  the  end  of  the  month  the  parapets 
were  restored,  the  breaches  built  up,  the  rampart  increased 
in  thickness,  every  battery  re-established,  and  the  gates  en- 
trenched; and  yet  the  troops  were  in  hourly  anxiety  that 
their  work  might  be  again  destroyed,  for  during  the  month 
succeeding  the  great  earthquake  fully  a  hundred  shocks 
were  felt. 

So  extraordinary  was  the  vigour  with  which  the  repairs 
had  been  accomplished,  that  when  Akbar  Khan  moved  down 
with  his  forces  early  in  March  and  saw  the  formidable  de- 
fences, he  and  his  followers  were  unable  to  understand  it, 
and  declared  that  the  preservation  of  Jellalabad  from  de- 
struction must  have  been  the  result  of  witchcraft,  for  no 
other  town  or  village  had  escaped.  While  at  work  the  garri- 
son had  been  in  constant  expectation  of  attack,  for  Akbar's 
army  lay  but  a  few  miles  from  the  town.  But  the  success 
of  the  two  sorties  had  shown  the  Afghan  leader  that  he  had 
very  different  foes  to  deal  with  from  the  dispirited  force 
that  had  been  annihilated  in  the  passes.  Here  were  men 
ready  to  work  and  to  fight,  while  those  at  Cabul  had  done 
neither;  and  he  resolved  to  attempt  to  starve  them  out, 
hoping  for  the  same  success  as  had  attended  a  similar  step 
at  Cabul.  He  kept  on,  therefore,  drawing  in  more  closely, 
harassing  the  foraging  parties,  and  having  occasional  skir- 


JELLALABAD  299 

mishes  with  the  bodies  of  cavalry  sent  out  to  protect  the 
grass-cutters. 

On  the  night  of  the  10th  the  enemy  threw  up  sangars, 
small  defences  of  earth  or  stone,  at  many  points  round  the 
town,  and  from  behind  them  opened  a  brisk  fire.  There 
was  a  report  that  behind  these  shelters  they  were  mining 
towards  the  walls,  and  a  strong  party  of  infantry  and  cav- 
alry, with  two  hundred  of  Broadfoot's  sappers,  commanded 
by  Colonel  Dennie,  were  sent  out.  As  they  poured  out 
through  the  gate,  Akbar  advanced  with  his  forces;  but  the 
guns  on  the  ramparts  received  them  with  a  heavy  fire,  and 
although  they  came  on  several  times  as  if  prepared  to  give 
battle,  they  eventually  drew  back,  unable  to  withstand  the 
storm  of  shot  and  shrapnel.  The  working  parties  of  sappers 
set  to  work  to  destroy  the  sangars,  and  in  doing  so  discovered 
that  there  was  no  foundation  for  the  report  that  the  enemy 
were  mining.  When  the  work  was  done,  the  troops  began 
to  fall  back  to  the  town,  as  ammunition  was  beginning  to 
run  short.  On  seeing  their  retirement  the  Afghans  again 
advanced;  but  on  our  troops  halting  and  facing  them,  they 
at  once  turned  and  fled,  having  lost  considerably  by  our 
artillery  and  musketry  fire.  Dennie's  force  sustained  no  loss 
in  killed,  but  Broadfoot  was  wounded,  and  the  loss  of  his 
services  as  engineer  was  serious. 

Time  passed  quietly.  The  whole  of  the  ground  had  been 
cleared  of  trees,  houses,  and  walls  for  some  distance  round 
the  town,  and  the  Afghans  were  no  longer  able  to  crawl  up 
under  shelter  and  keep  up  a  galling  fire  on  our  men.  Early 
in  April  a  messenger  brought  in  news  that  Pollock  had  now 
received  his  reinforcements,  and  would  advance  in  a  day  or 
two,  the  Sepoys  having  recovered  their  health  and  spirits. 
His  force  had  been  joined  by  the  9th  Foot,  the  3rd  Dragoons, 
nine  guns,  and  the  1st  Native  Cavalry. 


300  TO  HERAT  AND  CABUL 

On  the  5th  these  started  from  Jumrood.  Brigadier  Wyld 
commanded  the  advance  guard,  General  M'Caskill  the  rear. 
Two  columns  of  infantry  were  to  scale  the  height  on  either 
side  of  the  pass,  Major  Davis  in  command  of  that  on  the 
right,  Colonel  Moseley  of  that  on  the  left.  At  three  o'clock 
in  the  morning  they  started.  The  heights  on  either  side  and 
the  pass  were  crowded  with  the  enemy,  who  were  always 
well  informed  of  the  British  movements  by  the  natives  in 
the  town.  They  expected  that  the  force  would  all  move  along 
the  road,  and  anticipated  an  easy  success.  The  two  flanking 
parties  moved  off  so  quietly  in  the  dim  light  of  the  morning 
that  they  were  not  perceived  by  the  enemy  until  they  began 
to  scale  the  heights.  Then  a  lively  combat  began,  and  the 
Afghans  learned  for  the  first  time  that  even  among  their  own 
hills  the  British  could  beat  them. 

The  difficulties  of  the  ascent  were  great,  but  the  moral  of 
the  Sepoys  was  now  completely  restored,  and  they  stormed 
the  heights  on  either  side  with  great  gallantry,  driving  the 
Afghans  before  them.  While  this  was  going  on,  the  main 
column  in  the  valley  had  cleared  away  a  formidable  barri- 
cade that  had  been  erected  at  the  mouth  of  the  pass,  and 
which  could  not  have  been  destroyed  without  much  loss  had 
the  Afghans  maintained  their  position  on  the  hills.  Pollock 
now  advanced,  and  the  Afghans,  who  had  assembled  in  large 
numbers  at  the  mouth  of  the  pass,  bewildered  at  finding 
themselves  outflanked,  fell  back,  and  the  column  with  its 
great  convoy  of  animals  moved  forward. 

The  number  of  draught  animals  was  very  large,  although 
the  baggage  of  the  advancing  force  had  been  cut  down  to 
the  narrowest  dimensions,  in  order  that  provisions  and  am- 
munition for  the  garrison  at  Jellalabad  might  be  taken  on. 
The  march  occupied  the  greater  part  of  the  day.  The  heat 
was  great,  and  the  troops  suffered  from  thirst;  but  animated 
by  their  success,  they  thought  little  of  this,  and  before  night- 


THE  ADVANCE  ON  CABUL  301 

fall  bivouacked  round  All  Musjid,  whose  garrison  had 
evacuated  the  place  when  they  saw  that  the  day  had  gone 
against  them.  All  night  long  the  Afghans  kept  up  a  fire 
from  among  the  hills,  but  did  not  attempt  an  attack.  The 
Sikhs  had  joined  the  main  body,  as  the  general,  doubtful 
as  to  their  fidelity,  had  sent  them  by  another  pass.  The 
general's  estimate  of  them  was  not  a  mistaken  one.  They 
were  left  to  occupy  All  Musjid  and  guard  the  pass,  but 
shortly  after  the  army  had  moved  on  they  quitted  the  posi- 
tion and  marched  away,  seizing  some  of  the  baggage  animals 
on  their  way  up,  and,  throwing  their  loads  on  the-  ground, 
employing  them  to  carry  their  own  baggage. 

The  crushing  and  altogether  unexpected  defeat  that  the 
tribesmen  had  suffered  had  its  effect.  They  had  found  them- 
selves beaten  at  their  own  g'ame  and  withdrew  at  once  to 
their  fastnesses,  and  Pollock's  force  marched  on  without 
meeting  with  any  serious  opposition. 


CHAPTER  XVHI 

THE  ADVANCE  ON  CABUL 

THE  garrison  of  Jellalabad  found  themselves  pressed  for 
provisions  at  the  end  of  March,  and  on  the  1st  of  April 
made  a  gallant  sortie,  and  swept  into  the  town  a  flock  of 
five  hundred  sheep  and  goats.  On  the  5th  Macgregor's  spies 
brought  in  news  from  Akbar's  camp  that  it  was  reported 
there  that  Pollock  had  been  beaten  with  great  loss  in  the 
Khyber  Pass,  and  on  the  following  morning  Akbar's  guns 
fired  a  royal  salute  in  honour  of  the  supposed  victory.  Sale, 
now  confident  of  the  fighting  powers  of  his  men,  determined 
to  make  a  great  effort  to  break  up  the  blockade ;  as  if  Pollock 


302  TO  HERAT  AND  CABtTL 

had  really  been  defeated  it  would  be  some  time  before  relief 
could  come  to  them,  and  they  could  not  hope  again  to  make 
such  a  capture  as  that  which  they  had  effected  on  the  1st.  A 
council  of  war  was  held,  and  action  was  decided  upon,  as 
success  would  not  only  free  them  from  all  apprehensions  of 
being  starved  out,  but  would  effect  a  diversion  in  favour  of 
Pollock. 

The  force  was  but  a  small  one  for  the  enterprise  which 
they  moved  out  to  undertake.  The  centre  column,  consist- 
ing of  the  13th  Regiment,  mustering  five  hundred  bayonets, 
was  under  the  command  of  Colonel  Dennie;  the  right,  con- 
sisting of  some  three  hundred  and  fifty  men  of  the  two  na- 
tive regiments  and  a  detachment  of  sappers,  was  commanded 
by  Captain  Havelock;  the  left  column  was  about  the  same 
strength,  under  Lieutenant-colonel  Monteith;  the  light  field 
battery  and  a  small  cavalry  force  were  to  support  them. 
They  advanced  from  the  city  at  daylight  on  the  7th.  Akbar 
Khan  drew  up  his  force,  six  thousand  strong,  before  his  camp, 
his  right  resting  on  a  fort,  and  his  left  on  the  Cabul  river. 
Havelock's  column  commenced  the  fight  by  attacking  the 
enemy's  left,  while  Dennie  advanced  to  the  assault  of  the  fort, 
which  was  vigorously  defended.  Dennie  himself  fell  mor- 
tally wounded  by  an  Afghan  ball,  but  his  men  captured  the 
place  in  gallant  style.  A  general  attack  now  took  place  on 
Akbar's  camp.  The  artillery  advanced  at  a  gallop,  and 
poured  their  fire  into  the  Afghan  centre,  the  13th  and  Colonel 
Monteith's  column  pierced  their  right,  while  Havelock  drove 
back  their  left  from  the  support  afforded  by  the  river. 

The  Afghans  fought  sturdily,  their  musketry  keeping  up 
a  heavy  fire,  and  large  bodies  of  horse  again  and  again 
threatened  Havelock's  column,  while  three  guns  from  a  hidden 
battery  opened  fire.  The  struggle,  however,  was  a  short 
one.  Their  cannon  were  taken,  every  position  he.ld  by 
them  was  captured,  and  by  seven  o'clock  they  were  in  full 


THE  ADVANCE  ON  CABUL  303 

retreat.  Two  cavalry  standards  were  taken,  four  guns  lost 
by  the  Cabul  and  Gundamuck  forces  were  recaptured,  a 
vast  quantity  of  ordnance  stores  destroyed,  and  the  whole 
of  the  enemy's  tents  burnt.  The  loss  of  the  Afghans  had  been 
heavy,  and  several  chiefs  were  among  the  fallen.  The  loss 
of  the  victors  was  small  indeed.  Colonel  Dennie  and  ten 
Sepoys  were  killed,  three  officers  and  some  fifty  men  wounded. 
A  day  or  two  later  Pollock's  force  reached  Jellalabad,  and 
the  joy  of  both  parties  was  great. 

Indeed,  no  stronger  contrast  can  be  found  than  that  be- 
tween the  leading  and  conduct  of  the  force  at  Cabul  and 
that  at  Jellalabad.  The  one  showed  the  British  leader  and 
the  British  soldier  at  their  worst,  the  other  the  British  com- 
mander and  men  at  their  best.  It  may  be  confidently  affirmed 
that  had  Sale  been  in  the  place  of  Elphinstone,  with  full 
power  of  action,  the  fight  in  the  passes  would  never  have 
taken  place,  and  within  three  days  of  the  murder  of  Burnes 
the  Afghan  host  would  have  been  a  mob  of  fugitives,  and 
Cabul  would  have  been  in  our  hands.  The  British  soldier 
is  always  best  in  the  attack.  He  is  ready  and  eager  to  fight 
against  any  odds,  but  when  kept  in  a  state  of  inaction,  under 
a  commander  in  whom  he  has  lost  all  confidence,  he  speedily 
deteriorates.  Happily  there  are  few  examples  in  our  military 
history  such  as  those  of  Cabul  and  Walcheren,  where  the 
British  soldier  has  been  placed  in  such  a  position. 

While  Pollock  was  forcing  the  Khyber  Pass  the  reign  of 
Shah  Soojah  came  to  a  sudden  end.  After  the  departure  of 
the  British  no  hostility  was  shown  towards  him  by  the 
Afghans,  and  he  continued  at  the  Bala  Hissar  in  the  position 
of  nominal  sovereign  of  Afghanistan  the  Nawab  having  will- 
ingly resigned  the  difficult  and  dangerous  post  and  accepted 
that  of  wuzeer.  He  himself  had  his  troubles.  Most  restless 
and  dangerous  of  these  Afghan  leaders  was  Aneen-oollah- 
Khan,  who  had  played  fast  and  loose  with  the  British  while 


304  TO  HERAT  AND  CABUL 

secretly  working  against  them.  He  demanded  the  surrender 
to  him  of  the  hostages.  The  Nawab  steadily  refused,  and 
as  threats  of  force  were  used  against  him,  raised  a  body  of 
three  thousand  men  for  their  protection.  These,  however, 
were  corrupted  by  Aneen,  but  the  Nawab  remained  faithful 
to  his  trust.  On  the  4th  of  April  Shah  Soojah  left  the 
Bala  Hissar  with  his  retinue  to  go  down  to  join  Akbar  Khan. 
An  ambush  was  laid  for  him  by  one  of  the  sons  of  the 
Nawab.  These  poured  in  a  volley,  and  Shah  Soojah  fell 
dead,  shot  through  the  head.  The  Nawab  was  filled  with 
horror  at  the  deed,  and  swore  an  oath  never  again  to  see 
his  son  beneath  his  roof  or  suffer  him  to  be  named  in  his 
presence. 

While  Jellalabad  was  being  besieged,  the  situation  at  Can- 
dahar  had  been  precarious.  Ghuznee  had  been  captured  by 
the  tribesmen  after  a  gallant  defence,  and  its  garrison  had 
been  massacred.  Kelat-i-Ghilzye  was  besieged,  and  without 
hope  of  succour.  Candahar  was  surrounded  by  the  insur- 
gent Dooranees,  but  these  had  been  twice  defeated  by  General 
Nott.  During  one  of  these  expeditions  the  city  was  in  im- 
minent danger,  for  the  enemy,  gradually  retiring,  drew  the 
sortie-party  a  considerable  distance  from  the  walls,  and  then 
at  night  slipped  away  and  attacked  the  place.  One  of  the 
gates  was  destroyed  by  fire,  and  for  many  hours  the  issue 
of  the  contest  was  doubtful.  At  last,  however,  the  assailants 
were  beaten  off  with  very  heavy  loss.  A  force  marching  up 
to  the  relief  of  the  town,  under  General  England,  being  very 
badly  handled,  were  opposed  on  their  way  up  from  Quettah, 
and  fell  back  and  remained  there  until  Nott  sent  a  peremp- 
tory order  for  them  to  advance  again. 

He  himself  marched  to  meet  them,  and  on  the  united 
force  arriving  at  Candahar,  the  town  was  placed  beyond 
all  risk  of  capture.  Nott  was  preparing  to  march  on  Cabul, 


THE  ADVANCE  ON  CABUL  305 

while  Pollock  advanced  on  Jellalabad;  but,  to  the  stupefac- 
tion and  disappointment  of  all,  an  order  arrived  from  Cal- 
cutta for  the  abandonment  of  Candahar  and  the  return  of 
the  force  to  India.  There  had  been  a  change  of  governors. 
Lord  Ellenborough  had  succeeded  Lord  Auckland,  and  imme- 
diately set  to  work  to  overthrow  the  whole  policy  of  his 
predecessor.  Similar  orders  were  sent  to  Pollock.  The  latter, 
however,  mindful  of  the  honour  of  his  country,  and  the 
safety  of  the  hostages  and  ladies,  replied  that,  being  almost 
without  carriage,  it  would  be  impossible  for  him  to  retire 
at  once,  thus  gaining  time,  which  he  utilized  by  entering 
into  negotiations  with  Akbar  Khan  for  the  release  of  their 
prisoners. 

Both  generals  wisely  kept  the  order  they  had  received  a 
secret  from  the  troops,  who  would  have  been  profoundly  dis- 
heartened. However,  no  secret  had  been  made  as  to  the 
orders  issued  in  Calcutta,  and  the  news  soon  spread  all 
over  India,  and  reached  Pollock's  camp,  that  the  army  was 
to  be  withdrawn.  Pollock  did  his  best  to  throw  doubts  upon 
the  truth  of  the  reports  by  marking  out  a  new  camp  two 
miles  in  advance,  and  arranging  with  the  natives  to  bring 
in  supplies  there,  so  as  to  give  grounds  for  a  belief  that, 
so  far  from  leaving  the  town,  he  was  preparing  for  an 
advance.  In  the  meantime  he  had  written  an  urgent  letter 
pointing  out  the  evils  and  difficulties  of  an  immediate  with- 
drawal, and  the  immense  advantage  that  would  arise  by 
striking  a  heavy  blow  before  retiring,  and  so  to  some  extent 
retrieving  the  reputation  of  the  British  army. 

The  letter  had  its  influence,  and  the  governor  wrote: 

It  would  be  desirable  undoubtedly,  before  finally  quitting 
Afghanistan,  that  you  should  have  an  opportunity  of  striking 
a  blow  at  the  enemy,  and  since  circumstances  seem  to  com- 

(M  807)  D 


306  TO  HERAT  AND  CABUL 

pel  you  to  remain  there  till  October,  the  governor-general  ear- 
nestly hopes  that  you  will  be  able  to  draw  the  enemy  into  a 
position  in  which  you  may  strike  such  a  blow  effectually. 

This  was  good  news.  Every  effort  was  being  made  to 
collect  carriage  cattle  in  Hindostan  for  the  purpose  of  the 
withdrawal,  and  Pollock  determined  to  turn  these  to  account. 
If  there  was  carriage  enough  to  enable  him  to  fall  back 
upon  Peshawur,  there  would  be  carriage  enough  for  him1 
to  advance  on  Cabul.  In  the  meantime  negotiations  were 
going  on  for  the  release  of  the  captives.  The  married  families 
had,  on  the  day  of  their  arrival  at  Akbar's  camp,  been  placed 
in  a  small  fort  with  Pottinger,  Lawrence,  and  Mackenzie. 
Two  days  later  they  were  taken  down  to  Jugduluk,  where 
they  found  General  Elphinstone,  Brigadier  Shelton,  and  Cap- 
tain Johnson,  and  thence  travelled  down  to  a  fort,  the  prop- 
erty of  the  father  of  Akbar's  wife.  The  party  consisted  of 
nine  ladies,  twenty  officers  and  fourteen  children;  seventeen 
European  soldiers,  two  women  and  a  child  were  confined  in 
another  part  of  the  fort. 

Here  they  remained  three  months.  Two  more  officers  were 
brought  in,  and  a  month  after  their  arrival  two  other  sur- 
vivors, Major  Griffiths  and  Captain  Souter,  were  added  to 
the  party.  On  the  day  after  Akbar's  defeat  they  were  hastily 
taken  away  and  carried  to  Tezeen,  and  thence  to  a  place 
called  Zanda,  far  up  in  the  hills.  General  Elphinstone  had 
been  bed-ridden  for  some  weeks,  and  was  left  behind  at 
Tezeen,  where  he  died.  Akbar  Khan  sent  in  his  remains  to 
Jellalabad.  Civil  war  was  raging  in  Cabul.  Shah  Soojah's 
second  son  had  succeeded  him,  but  he  was  altogether  without 
power.  Some  of  the  chiefs  supported  him,  others  opposed; 
but  finally  the  Bala  Hissar  was  stormed  by  Akbar,  who  was 
now  the  most  powerful  chief  in  Afghanistan.  Pollock  was 
still  harassed  by  letters  from  Lord  Ellenborough  insisting 


THE  ADVANCE  ON  CABUL  307 

upon  his  retiring;  but  public  opinion  throughout  India  was 
so  opposed  to  a  course  that  would  bring  the  deepest  disgrace 
upon  the  British  power,  that  at  last,  in  August,  he  wrote  to 
Nott  saying  that  he  must  withdraw  his  force  from  Afghanis- 
tan, but  that  if  he  chose  he  might  take  the  route  through 
Ghuznee  and  Cabul.  He  similarly  issued  his  orders  for  Pol- 
lock to  retire,  but  added  that  "you  will  be  at  liberty  to  first 
march  to  Cabul  to  meet  Nott." 

Both  had  been  preparing  for  the  movement.  Pollock  had 
sent  several  expeditions  against  hostile  tribesmen,  and  had 
recovered  one  of  the  captured  guns.  On  the  20th  of  August 
he  left  Jellalabad  with  eight  thousand  troops,  and  on  the 
23rd  reached  Gundamuck.  The  next  day  the  village  was 
cleared  of  a  strong  body  of  the  enemy.  While  concentrating 
his  troops  there  and  waiting  intelligence  from  Nott,  the 
British  force  remained  at  Gundamuck  till  the  7th  of  Sep- 
tember. On  the  1st,  Futteh  Jung,  who  had  succeeded  his 
father,  rode  into  camp.  Akbar  Khan  had  stripped  him  of  all 
power  and  all  his  wealth,  and  imprisoned  him  in  the  Bala 
Hissar,  from  which  he  had  now  escaped,  and  with  much 
difficulty  made  his  way  to  Pollock's  camp  to  seek  the  pro- 
tection of  the  British  government.  On  the  7th  the  first 
division  of  the  army,  under  the  command  of  Sale,  moved 
forward;  the  second  division,  under  General  M'Caskill, 
marched  on  the  following  day.  Sale  found  the  hills  com- 
manding the  roads  through  the  Jugduluk  Pass  occupied  by 
large  bodies  of  the  enemy,  who  opened  a  heavy  fire.  The 
guns  replied,  and  the  infantry  then  in  three  columns  dashed 
up  the  hills  and  drove  the  Ghilzyes  from  them. 

One  strong  body  had  taken  refuge  at  an  apparently  in- 
accessible point,  but  the  British  storming  party  scaled  the 
height,  and  the  enemy  fled  without  waiting  for  the  assault 
at  close  quarters.  Thus  on  the  hills  where  the  Afghans  had 
massacred  Elphinstone's  troops  they  were  now  taught  that, 


308  TO  HERAT  AND  CABUL 

if  well  led,  the  British  soldier  could  defeat  them  in  a  posi- 
tion they  had  deemed  impregnable.  At  Tezeen  the  second 
division  joined  the  first.  The  force  halted  for  a  day,  and 
the  Afghans,  believing  that  this  betokened  indecision,  mus- 
tered their  forces  for  a  final  engagement.  Akbar  had,  as 
he  had  threatened  to  do  if  they  advanced,  sent  off  the 
captives  to  the  Bamian  Pass,  with  the  intention  of  selling 
them  as  slaves  to  the  Turkomans. 

On  the  13th  the  two  armies  were  face  to  face.  The  valley 
of  Tezeen  was  commanded  on  all  sides  by  lofty  hills,  and 
these  now  swarmed  with  men.  The  enemy's  horse  entered 
the  valley,  but  the  British  squadrons  charged  them,  drove 
them  in  headlong  flight,  and  cut  down  many.  The  infantry 
climbed  the  hills  on  both  sides  under  a  terrible  fire  from 
the  Afghan  guns.  To  these  they  made  no  reply,  well  know- 
ing that  their  muskets  were  no  match  for  the  long  fire- 
arms of  the  enemy.  As  soon,  however,  as  they  reached  the 
summit,  they  fixed  bayonets  and  charged  with  a  mighty  cheer. 
Only  a  few  of  the  enemy  stood  their  ground,  and  fell,  the 
rest  fled.  All  day  firing  was  kept  up,  until  at  last  the 
enemy  occupying  the  highest  ridges  were,  in  spite  of  a 
sturdy  resistance,  driven  off,  fairly  beaten  on  their  own 
ground  and  in  their  own  style  of  warfare. 

Our  troops  fought  with  extraordinary  bravery.  They  were 
animated  by  a  desire  to  wipe  out  the  disgrace  that  had 
fallen  on  our  arms,  and  were  maddened  by  the  sight  of  the 
numerous  skeletons  of  their  comrades  in  the  Jugduluk.  Ak- 
bar Khan  saw  that  all  was  up,  and  fled,  while  the  tribesmen 
scattered  to  their  homes,  and  the  army  marched  forward 
without  opposition  to  Cabul. 

In  the  meantime,  Nott  had  been  busy.  On  the  29th  of 
May  he  inflicted  a  decisive  defeat  upon  the  Dooranees  out- 
side the  walls  of  Candahar.  On  the  7th  of  August  the  army 
evacuated  that  city,  and  on  the  27th  arrived  at  Mookoor. 


THE  ADVANCE  ON  CABUL  309 

Up  to  this  point  no  opposition  whatever  had  been  offered. 
The  inhabitants  had  been  friendly,  and  supplies  were  ob- 
tained without  difficulty.  But  the  Afghan  governor  of  Ghuz- 
nee  had  raised  all  the  country,  and  had  taken  up  a  very 
strong  position  near  the  source  of  the  Turnuck. 

On  the  28th  the  forces  met.  The  position  of  the  enemy 
was  unknown,  as  a  thick  mist  covered  the  country.  The 
cavalry  rode  forward  to  reconnoitre,  cut  up  a  party  of 
Afghan  infantry  in  the  plain,  and  pursuing  them  hotly 
came  upon  hills  crowded  by  the  enemy,  who  opened  a  heavy 
fire.  They  fell  back  in  an  orderly  manner,  when  a  body 
of  the  enemy's  horse  appeared  on  the  hill  above  them.  A 
squadron  of  native  cavalry  charged  them,  but  were  cut  up 
by  the  fire  of  a  body  of  Afghan  foot  who  had  hitherto  been 
hidden.  The  enemy's  horse  poured  down,  and  the  troopers, 
already  suffering  from  the  infantry  fire,  turned  and  fled. 
The  panic  spread,  and  the  whole  of  the  cavalry  were  soon 
in  flight.  Two  British  officers  had  been  killed  and  three 
wounded,  and  fifty-six  men  disabled.  Nott,  on  hearing  the 
loss,  marched  out  with  his  infantry,  but  on  reaching  the 
scene  of  the  fight  found  that  the  enemy  had  retired. 

On  the  afternoon  of  the  next  day  Nott,  marching  for- 
ward, came  upon  a  fort  held  by  the  enemy.  Our  artillery 
opened  upon  it  with  little  effect.  The  Afghan  army,  some 
ten  thousand  strong,  had  been  watching  us,  and  now  opened 
an  artillery  fire  from  the  heights,  and  its  foot  men  moved 
forward  to  the  attack;  but  as  they  neared  us  our  infantry 
charged  with  a  cheer  and  they  broke  and  fled.  Two  of  their 
guns,  and  their  tents,  magazines,  and  stores  were  captured. 
On  the  5th  of  September  Nott  encamped  before  Ghuznee, 
and  began  to  prepare  for  the  assault.  The  enemy,  however, 
were  in  no  humour  for  fighting;  the  greater  portion  of  the 
tribesmen  had  scattered  to  their  homes  after  their  defeat. 
The  garrison  lost  heart  altogether  and  evacuated  the  city, 


310  TO  HERAT  AND  CABUL 

and  the  governor  set  off  with  a  few  followers  for  Cabul.  The 
next  morning  the  British  entered  the  town  without  firing 
a  shot.  On  the  following  day,  however,  the  governor  returned 
with  a  large  number  of  the  tribesmen  who  had  just  arrived, 
and  on  the  14th  Nott  attacked  them.  A  hard  battle  was 
fought,  but  it  was  indecisive.  On  the  following  morning  the 
enemy  disappeared;  they  had  received  the  news  of  the  defeat 
of  Akbar  at  Tezeen.  The  column,  however,  was  again  har- 
assed when  the  troops  advanced,  but  they  cleared  the  way 
in  good  style.  The  tribesmen  here  had  been  actively  engaged 
in  the  Cabul  insurrection,  and  twenty-six  of  their  forts  were 
burned  as  punishment.  On  the  17th  the  army  encamped 
four  miles  from  the  city,  and  learned  that  Pollock  had  occu- 
pied Cabul  two  days  previously. 

Angus  Campbell  had  taken  no  part  in  the  operations  of 
that  advance.  On  the  26th  of  August  news  had  arrived  at 
Gundamuck  by  a  messenger  from  the  moonshee,  Mohun 
Lai,  who  had  throughout  kept  the  force  at  Jellalabad  well 
supplied  with  news  of  what  was  passing  at  Cabul;  he  now 
sent  to  say  that  on  the  previous  day  Akbar  had  despatched 
all  the  captives  under  an  escort  of  three  hundred  horse  to 
Bamian,  and  that  they  were  to  be  taken  on  to  Khooloom, 
and  there  handed  over  to  the  governor.  Once  there,  it  was 
certain  that  they  would  remain  in  captivity  among  the 
tribes  until  death  released  them.  As  soon  as  he  heard  the 
news  Angus  went  to  Macgregor. 

"  I  am  going  to  ask,"  he  said,  "  if  you  will  allow  me  to 
go  on  an  expedition  on  my  own  account.  I  was  thinking 
that  it  was  just  possible  that  the  captives  might  be  over- 
taken. It  is  probable  that  they  will  halt  some  time  at 
Bamian,  and  certainly  we  could  come  up  to  them  there. 
With  so  many  women  and  children  it  will  be  impossible 
for  the  convoy  to  move  fast,  and  they  may  stay  at  Bamian 
until  the  result  of  our  operations  here  are  known.  You 


THE  ADVANCE  ON  CABUL  311 

have  already  promised  me  that  the  part  taken  by  Sadut 
Khan  shall  be  forgiven,  seeing  that  he  did  his  best  to 
persuade  Akbar  to  give  protection  to  the  retreating  army, 
and  also  because  he  showed  great  kindness  to  me  when  I 
was  in  his  hands.  If  you  can  obtain  permission  from  the 
general  I  will  start  at  once  in  disguise  for  his  fort  in  the 
mountain.  I  cannot  but  think  that  he  will  aid  me,  and 
I  might,  with  four  of  his  followers,  who  have  come  from 
Bamian,  and  are  personally  well  known  to  me,  succeed  in 
some  way  in  rescuing  at  least  a  few  of  the  captives.  Eldrecl 
Pottinger,  Captain  Boyd,  and  Captain  Johnson  are  all  dear 
friends  of  mine,  and  I  would  willingly  run  any  risk  in  the 
endeavour  to  save  them.  Possibly,  if  we  overtake  the  party, 
we  may  in  some  way  cause  a  delay  which  would  enable  any 
rescue  party  sent  off  when  you  reach  Cabul  to  get  up  in 
time." 

"  It  is  a  brave  offer,  Campbell,  but  the  enterprise  seems 
to  me  an  almost  desperate  one.  However,  I  don't  think 
that  I  should  be  justified  in  refusing  it,  and  I  am  sure  that 
if  anyone  could  succeed,  you  will  do  so.  When  will  you 
start?" 

"  In  ten  minutes,  sir,  if  you  will  furnish  me  with  an 
authority  to  offer  a  bribe  to  the  officer  in  command  of  their 
escort." 

"  I  will  go  and  see  the  general  at  once.  He  is  well 
aware,  from  the  report  that  I  have  made,  of  the  kindness 
Sadut  showed  you,  and  of  his  efforts  to  save  our  army.  I 
have  no  doubt  that  the  chief  has  fought  against  us  in  the 
last  battle,  but  that  was  only  natural.  I  feel  sure  that  above 
all  things  Pollock  would  embrace  any  offer  that  promises 
the  slightest  chance  of  rescuing  the  hostages,  but  the  risk 
would  be  terrible,  Campbell." 

"  Of  course  there  would  be  risk,"  Angus  agreed,  "  but  I 
do  not  see  how  it  would  be  exceptionally  great.  I  have 


312  TO  HEEAT  AND  CABUL 

journeyed  as  an  Afghan  two  or  three  times  already  with- 
out detection,  and  I  could  just  as  well  do  so  again.  At 
any  rate,  I  am  willing  to  undertake  the  enterprise.  It 
would,  of  course,  be  useful  for  me  to  take  a  considerable 
sum  of  money  to  win  over  the  guard;  still  more  useful  if 
the  general  would  authorize  me  to  offer  terms  that  would 
tempt  the  cupidity  of  the  commander,  as  we  have  always 
found  that  the  Afghans  are  ready  to  do  almost  anything 
for  bribes." 

"  I  will  take  you  at  once  with  me  to  the  general.  He  is 
well  acquainted  with  the  services  you  rendered  Pottinger 
at  Herat,  and  have  rendered  the  army  ever  since  it  began 
its  march  from  the  Indus,  and  he  knows  the  favourable 
report  that  has  been  sent  in  by  Pottinger  and  Burnes." 

Angus  had,  indeed,  been  introduced  by  Sir  Robert  Sale 
to  General  Pollock  on  his  arrival  at  Cabul.  On  reaching 
his  tent  they  found  him  for  the  .moment  unoccupied.  He 
listened  gravely  to  Macgregor's  statement  of  the  offer  that 
Angus  had  made. 

"It  is  a  noble  proposal,  Mr.  Campbell,"  he  said,  in  his 
usual  kindly  and  courteous  way,  "  but  the  risk  seems  to 
me  terrible,  and  should  anything  happen  to  you,  the  ser- 
vice would  be  deprived  of  one  of  its  most  promising  and 
meritorious  officers.  At  the  same  time,  there  seems  a  fair 
possibility  that  you  may  succeed  in  rescuing  one  or  more 
of  the  captives.  Of  course  it  would  be  quite  out  of  the 
question  that  any  of  the  ladies  could  escape.  There  would 
be  a  hot  pursuit,  and  only  horsemen  well  mounted  could 
hope  to  get  off.  However,  I  do  not  feel  justified  in  refusing 
any  offer  that  affords  a  shadow  of  hope  of  saving  such  men 
as  Pottinger,  and  will  do  all  that  Mr.  Macgregor  suggests 
to  facilitate  your  operations.  You  will  doubtless  pass 
through  Cabul,  and  I  will  at  once  write  a  letter  to  Mohun 
Lai,  requesting  him  to  give  you  authority,  in  his  name  as 


THE  ADVANCE  ON  CABUL  313 

well  as  mine,  for  payment  to  the  leader  of  the  prisoners' 
escort  of  any  sum  in  reason.  At  present  native  opinion 
is  strong  that  we  shall  not  be  able  to  force  the  passes, 
and  the  name  of  the  moonshee  may  have  greater  effect 
than  any  promise  on  my  part;  but  at  the  same  time,  until 
you  can  get  into  communication  with  the  captives  and 
learn  something  of  the  officer  and  his  disposition,  it  would 
be  madness  to  attempt  to  bribe  him.  The  difficulties  of 
the  journey  appear  to  me  to  be  great,  but  not  insuperable. 
The  real  difficulty  will  only  begin  when  you  overtake  the 
captives'  escort." 

"I  feel  that,  sir,  but  I  rely  greatly  upon  the  men  I  hope 
to  obtain  from  Sadut.  Although  not  of  his  tribe,  they  have 
attached  themselves  most  strongly  to  him.  They  are  strong, 
resolute  men,  and  as  one  of  them  was  a  petty  chief  near 
Bamian,  he  may  be  able  to  gather  a  few  others  to  aid  me. 
I  shall,  of  course,  be  very  glad  to  have  authority  to  offer 
a  bribe  to  the  officer  in  command  of  the  party,  but  I  rely 
chiefly  upon  these  men  and  my  own  efforts,  at  any  rate 
as  far  as  Pottinger  is  concerned.  Captains  Boyd  and  John- 
son can  hardly  leave  their  families.  Possibly,  by  the  aid 
of  these  men,  I  may  be  able  to  collect  a  sufficient  number 
of  fighting  men  to  make  a  sudden  attack  upon  the  escort, 
and  to  carry  off  all  the  captives  to  some  hiding-place  among 
the  hills,  and  there  keep  them  until  you  send  on  a  force 
to  bring  them  in.  Of  course  I  must  be  entirely  guided  by 
circumstances,  but  it  is  impossible  for  me  to  have  any 
fixed  plan  until  I  see  how  matters  stand." 

*  I  can  quite  see  that,  Mr.  Campbell,  and  that,  greatly 
as  you  may  desire  to  rescue  the  whole  party,  it  is  Eldred 
Pottinger  who  is  the  first  object  of  your  expedition." 

*  That  is  so,  colonel.    He  was  most  kind  to  me  in  Herat, 
and  it  is  to  him  I  owe  my  present  position;  therefore  he 
is  my  first  object.    If  I  can  free  him  it  will  be  a  great  step 


314  TO  HEBAT  AND  OABUL 

gained  towards  rescuing  the  others.  I  feel  sure  that  he 
would  not  think  for  a  moment  of  leaving  his  companions 
to  their  fate.  But  his  name  as  the  defender  of  Herat  is 
known  to  every  Afghan,  and  he  would  be  able  to  bring 
a  great  influence  to  bear  upon  the  tribesmen  round  Bamian, 
whose  interests  must  lie  quite  as  much  with  Herat  as  with 
Cabul." 

The  general  nodded  approvingly. 

"  I  see  that  you  have  thought  matters  over  well.  If  you 
will  call  here  again  in  half  an  hour  the  letter  for  the  moon- 
shee  shall  be  ready  for  you,  and  a  thousand  pounds  in  gold. 

At  the  appointed  time  Angus  called  upon  the  general,  and 
received  the  money  and  letter;  then  returning  to  his  own 
tent,  he  rode  out  with  Azim.  When  fairly  away  from  the 
camp  they  dismounted  and  put  on  their  Afghan  disguises. 
They  had  brought  an  orderly  with  them,  who  took  back 
the  clothes  they  had  discarded  and  Angus's  sword  to  Mac- 
gregor's  tent,  he  having  undertaken  to  have  ihem  brought 
up  to  Cabul  with  his  own  baggage.  They  had  no  difficulty 
as  to  the  way,  as  the  path  they  had  followed  with  Sadut 
had  come  down  close  to  Gundamuck.  They  had  little  fear 
of  being  interfered  with  on  the  road.  The  Afghans  would 
have  gathered  in  the  passes,  and  should  they  meet  any  they 
would  only  have  to  say  that  their  village  near  Gundamuck 
had  been  burnt  by  the  British,  and  they  were  now  on  their 
way  to  join  Sadut  and  fight  under  his  orders. 

Although  they  saw  several  parties  in  the  distance  making 
their  way  towards  the  pass,  they  did  not  encounter  any 
within  speaking  distance,  and  just  at  sunset  reached  Sadut's 
fort. 

They  had  passed  through  the  village  unnoticed.  Tribes- 
men were  frequently  coming  and  going,  and  there  was 
nothing  to  distinguish  them  from  others.  They  dismounted 
in  front  of  the  fort.  A  man  was  sitting  at  the  top  of  a 


THE  ADVANCE  ON  CABUL  315 

ladder,  and  Angus  held  up  his  hand  to  him,  and  Hassan — 
for  it  was  the  man  who  had  twice  captured  him — at  once 
waved  his  hand  in  welcome,  and  stood  up. 

"You  have  come  willingly  this  time,"  he  said  with  a 
smile,  as  Angus  reached  him.  "  Of  course  you  wish  to  see 
Sadut  Khan.  He  is  within.  It  is  lucky  that  you  have 
arrived  to-day,  for  to-morrow  he  sets  out." 

Sadut  greeted  him  with  pleasure  mingled  with  surprise. 

"  I  did  not  expect  to  see  you  here,  my  friend." 

"  No,  I  suppose  not,  chief ;  but  I  am  on  a  mission  with 
which  I  am  sure  you  will  sympathize,  and  in  which  I  hope 
you  will  aid  me,  so  far  as  to  spare  me  Hassan  and  his  four 
men." 

"  What  is  its  nature  ? "  the  chief  asked.  "  I  know  that 
you  would  not  come  and  offer  me  English  money  to  abstain 
from  fighting  again." 

"I  should  not  think  of  such  a  thing,  Sadut.  I  know 
that  you  are  a  fair  and  open  enemy,  and  I  think  the  better 
of  you  for  fighting  for  your  country.  I  may  say  that 
General  Pollock  has  been  informed  of  your  kindness  to  me, 
and  that  you  did  your  utmost  to  make  Akbar  keep  his 
word  to  grant  protection  to  the  retiring  army,  and  I  can 
assure  you  that,  in  any  event,  no  harm  will  happen  to  you 
or  yours.  I  will  tell  you  what  I  have  come  for.  Do  you 
know  that  all  the  hostages,  ladies  and  children,  have  been 
sent  away  by  Akbar  from  Cabul,  that  they  are  to  be  taken 
over  the  Bamian  Pass  to  Khooloom,  and  handed  over  to  the 
governor  there,  and  that,  doubtless,  they  will  be  sold  as 
slaves  to  the  Turkomans  ?  " 

"I  had  not  heard  it,"  Sadut  said  angrily.  "It  is  a  dis- 
grace to  us.  They  were  delivered  up  trusting  to  our  word 
and  -honour,  and  it  is  a  foul  deed  of  Akbar  to  harm  them 
in  any  way  after  taking1  his  oath  for  their  protection.  It  is 
infamous !  infamous ! "  and  he  walked  up  and  down  the 


316  TO  HERAT  AND  CABUL 

room  in  nerce  indignation.  "What  should  we  say,"  he 
burst  out,  "  if  the  families  of  Dost  Mahomed  and  Akbar 
himself  were  to  be  sold  by  your  people  as  slaves  to  some 
barbarous  race?  Could  we  complain  if,  when  the  news  of 
this  treatment  of  the  hostages  becomes  known  in  India, 
Dost  Mahomed's  family  should  be  treated  in  a  similar 
way  ? "  Then  he  stopped  abruptly.  "  What  is  it  that  you 
have  come  to  ask  of  me?  The  thing  is  done,  and  cannot 
be  undone.  Akbar  and  I  are  ill  friends  now,  for  I  have 
bearded  him  in  the  council  and  denounced  his  conduct. 
Certainly  I  have  no  influence  that  could  assist  you.  I  am 
an  Afghan,  and  am  pledged  to  join  the  force  that  will 
oppose  the  march  of  your  troops  up  the  passes,  and  I  am 
a  man  of  my  word.  But  even  were  I  free  to  help  you,  I 
could  be  of  little  assistance.  I  have  here  not  more  than 
thirty  or  forty  fighting  men,  and  I  doubt  if  even  these 
would  obey  me  on  such  an  enterprise.  I  might  ride  to  my 
own  fort  and  summon  the  Momunds,  whom  I  have  so  far 
kept  quiet;  but  the  enterprise  would  be  a  desperate  one,  we 
should  set  all  the  other  tribes  against  us,  and  they  would 
not  risk  destruction  merely  for  the  sake  of  rescuing  a  few 
white  men  and  women.  Their  sympathies  are  all  with  the 
tribes  round  Cabul,  and  they  share  in  their  hatred  of  the 
infidel  invaders.  It  would  be  as  much  as  I  could  do  to 
keep  them  quiet,  and  certainly  I  should  fail  if  I  called  upon 
them  to  embark  on  such  an  enterprise." 

"I  have  no  intention  of  asking  it  of  you,  chief.  I  am 
going  myself  to  see  what  can  be  done  to  save  my  friends, 
and  have  come  to  ask  you  to  allow  Hassan  and  his  men  to 
go  with  me.  They  are  from  Bamian,  and  at  Bamian  it  is 
likely  that  the  captives  will  be  kept  for  some  time.  I  should, 
of  course,  pay  them  well  for  their  aid." 

"  You  can  take  them,"  the  chief  said  at  once.  "  They 
are  good  men  and  faithful  to  me,  and  I  rely  upon  them 


THE  ADVANCE  ON  CABUL  317 

as  I  could  not  do  on  any  of  my  own  tribesmen.  I  will 
call  them  in  at  once." 

Hassan  and  his  four  men  entered  the  room  a  minute 
later. 

"Hassan,"  Sadut  said,  "you  and  your  men  have  proved 
yourselves  true  and  faithful  followers  from  the  day  when 
you  left  your  homes  to  carry  me  over  the  passes,  although 
you  all  thought  that  there  was  no  hope  of  our  getting 
through.  You  have  fought  by  my  side  in  Kohistan;  you 
twice  at  my  orders  carried  off  my  friend  here.  He  ap- 
preciates the  service  you  did  him,  and  is  in  sore  need  of 
five  men  upon  whom  he  can  rely  to  the  utmost.  He  has 
come  to  ask  me  to  let  you  go  with  him.  A  sore  disgrace 
has  fallen  upon  our  nation.  Akbar  Khan  has  sent  the  men 
who  placed  themselves  in  his  hands  as  hostages,  and  the 
women  whom  he  swore  to  protect,  over  the  Hindoo  Koosh 
to  be  sold  as  slaves  to  the  Usbegs.  My  word  has  been 
given  to  fight  against  the  army  of  Gundamuck  if  it  at- 
tempts to  ascend  the  passes,  and  I  at  least  will  keep  faith. 
This  British  officer  is  going  to  attempt  to  free  some  of  the 
captives.  How  he  will  do  so  I  know  not,  but  my  best 
wishes  will  go  with  him.  He  thinks  it  likely  that  the 
escort  of  the  prisoners  will  halt  for  some  little  time  at 
Bamian,  and  you  more  than  any  others  might  therefore 
be  able  to  help.  I  do  not  order  you  to  go,  but  I  ask  you 
to  do  so.  It  is  a  good  work,  and  concerns  the  honour  of 
every  Afghan." 

"And  moreover,"  Angus  said,  "I  will  pay  a  thousand 
rupees  to  you,  and  five  hundred  to  each  of  your  followers. 
I  will  hand  them  over  to  you  at  once,  and  if  we  are  success- 
ful I  will  pay  you  as  much  more." 

The  sum  was  a  huge  one  in  their  eyes.  It  would  suffice 
to  settle  them  in  comfort  for  the  rest  of  their  lives.  Hassan 
looked  at  his  men,  and  saw  by  the  expression  of  their 


318  TO  HERAT  AND  CABUL 

faces  that  they  were  more  than  willing  to  accept  the  offer, 
He  held  out  his  hand  to  Angus,  "We  are  your  servants,"" 
he  said,  "  and  will  serve  you  truly,  and  if  needs  be,  lay 
down  our  lives  for  you,  not  only  for  the  sake  of  the  money 
you  offer  us,  hut  because  Sadut  Khan  has  told  us  that  for 
the  honour  of  the  nation  these  people  ought  to  be  released. 
We  have  been  comrades  in  danger  before,  and  were  nigh 
dead  when  you  rescued  us  when  buried  in  the  snow.  I 
see  not  how  this  enterprise  can  be  carried  out;  but  we 
will  do  what  you  tell  us,  and  men  cannot  do  more.  When 
do  we  start?" 

"  Every  hour  is  of  consequence,"  Angus  replied.  "  Can 
you  find  your  way  across  the  mountains  in  the  dark?  if  so, 
we  will  start  at  once." 

"  I  certainly  can  find  the  way." 

"  You  must  all  have  a  meal  first,"  Sadut  said.  "  Besides, 
you  will  need  horses.  They  shall  be  brought  in  and  got 
ready  for  you  in  an  hour.  See  that  the  English  officer's 
horses  have  a  good  feed,  and  that  his  servant  eats  with  you. 
The  food  will  be  ready  in  half  an  hour." 

No  time  was  lost,  and  in  an  hour  and  a  half  after  the 
arrival  of  Angus  at  the  fort  the  party  set  out.  Fortunately 
the  moon  was  nearly  full,  and  Hassan  had  so  frequently 
gone  down  to  Cabul  from  the  fort  that  he  had  no  difficulty 
whatever  in  following  the  track.  This  in  many  places  was 
so  steep  that  all  had  to  dismount  and  lead  their  horses 
down.  However,  they  reached  Cabul  an  hour  before  sun- 
rise, and  all  lay  down  in  an  empty  hut  for  three  or  four 
hours'  sleep. 

Then  Angus,  with  Hassan  and  three  of  his  men,  entered 
the  town,  leaving  Azim  and  the  other  man  to  look  after 
the  horses.  As  there  were  numbers  of  tribesmen  in  the 
streets,  they  attracted  no  attention  whatever.  Proceeding 


THE  ADVANCE  ON  CABUL  319 

to  the  house  of  the  moonshee,  Angus  enquired  if  Mohun 
Lai  was  in. 

"He  is  busy.  He  does  not  grant  audiences  till  ten 
o'clock." 

Angus  moved  away  and  returned  at  half-past  nine.  Al- 
ready five  or  six  persons  were  waiting  to  see  the  moon- 
shee, and  by  ten  the  number  had  considerably  increased. 
It  was  eleven  before  Angus's  turn  arrived.  The  moonshee 
was  alone.  Angus  took  out  his  letter  and  handed  it  to 
him.  He  knew  Mohun  Lai  well,  having  often  taken  com- 
munications to  him  from  Burnes. 

The  Afghan  read  the  letter,  and  looked  up  in  surprise. 

"You  are  well  disguised  indeed,  sahib,"  he  said,  rising, 
"  for,  often  as  I  have  seen  you  before,  I  did  not  recognize 
you  in  the  slightest,  but  thought  it  was,  as  usual,  an  Afghan 
peasant  with  complaints  to  make  against  plunderers.  So 
you  have  undertaken  the  dangerous  mission  of  endeavour- 
ing to  rescue  some  of  the  prisoners.  Truly  you  English 
have  courage  thus  to  thrust  yourself  into  the  midst  of 
enemies,  and  on  such  a  mission.  However,  I  will  do  what  I 
can  to  help  you.  I  do  not  say  that  it  is  altogether  hope- 
less, for  I  know  my  man;  the  commander  of  the  escort  is 
Saleh  Mahomed.  He  is  an  adventurer,  and  has  served  under 
many  masters.  He  was  at  one  time  a  subaltern  in  one  of 
your  native  regiments,  but  deserted  with  his  men  to  Dost 
Mahomed  just  before  the  fight  at  Bamian.  Such  a  man 
might  be  bought  over,  but  not  cheaply." 

"  General  Pollock  said  he  left  the  sum  to  be  offered  to 
him  entirely  to  you." 

Mohun  Lai  thought  for  some  time,  and  then  said: 

"  I  should  say  that  a  pension  of  a  thousand  rupees  a 
month,  and  a  present  of  thirty  thousand  would  tempt  him 
as  much  as  a  larger  sum..  It  would,  I  think,  be  best  foe 


320  TO  HERAT  AND  CABUL 

you  to  disguise  yourself  now  as  a  Cashmerian.  You  know 
Syud  Moorteza  ? " 

"  I  know  him  well,"  Angus  said ;  "  he  helped  Captain  John- 
son to  collect  grain  from  the  villages." 

"  It  would  be  as  well  for  you  to  use  his  name.  As  an 
Afghan,  Saleh  might  doubt  you.  Altogether,  it  would  be 
more  likely  that  a  man  who  may  be  considered  a  neutral 
should  be  employed  on  such  a  mission,  and  the  offer  to  sell 
goods  would  make  an  opening.  Of  course  you  could  take 
the  dress  you  now  wear  with  you  in  case  of  necessity.  It 
would  be  too  dangerous  for  me  to  give  you  a  letter,  for  if 
Saleh,  when  you  opened  the  subject  to  him,  at  once  ordered 
you  to  be  arrested,  it  would  certainly  be  found  on  you, 
and  would  cost  me  my  life.  You  will  require  to  take  a 
small  escort  with  you,  or  you  might  be  robbed  at  the  first 
place  you  come  to." 

"  I  have  five  men  with  me,"  Angus  replied.  "  They  come 
from  Bamian;  one  of  them  is  a  petty  chief  there,  and  might, 
if  I  find  that  Saleh  cannot  be  approached,  persuade  or  bribe 
some  of  the  people  there  to  aid." 

"I  fear  you  would  not  succeed  in  that  way.  Saleh  had, 
I  believe,  two  hundred  and  fifty  men  with  him.  I  suppose 
you  will  start  at  once  ? " 

"  Our  horses  are  outside  the  town,  and  we  shall  mount  as 
soon  as  I  return  to  them." 

"  I  wish  you  good  fortune.  There  are  many  Afghans  who 
feel  deeply  the  disgrace  Akbar  has  brought  upon  himself, 
and  upon  all  of  us,  by  breaking  his  plighted  word." 

Taking  leave  of  the  moonshee,  Angus  joined  his  com- 
panions, and  after  having  bought  in  the  bazaar  a  costume 
suitable  for  a  trader  from  Cashmere,  and  two  bales  of  goods 
from  that  country,  left  the  city. 


THE  BRITISH  CAPTIVES  321 

CHAPTER  XIX 

THE   BRITISH    CAPTIVES 

"  "TTTHY  are  you  going  as  a  Cashmerian  ?  "  Hassan  asked. 
T  T  "I  thought  that  you  were  going  in  the  disguise 
that  you  now  have  on." 

"  I  had  intended  to,  Hassan ;  but  Mohun  Lai  suggested  that 
as  a  trader  I  should  have  more  chance  of  going  among  the 
escort  than  as  an  Afghan,  and  I  see  that  this  would  be  so. 
And,  moreover,  as  Afghans  can  enter  into  fellowship  with 
the  men  of  the  escort  better  than  I  can,  and  as  you  come 
from  Bamian,  no  doubt  would  arise  as  to  the  truth  of  your 
story,  namely  that,  having  been  absent  for  more  than  two 
years  from  home,  you  were  anxious  to  get  home,  and  that 
as  this  trader  had  offered  you  money  to  serve  as  his  escort 
it  was  a  good  opportunity  for  you  to  return." 

Hassan  nodded.  "  That  makes  a  good  story  of  it,  cer- 
tainly." 

The  change  of  disguise  was  made,  two  ponies  were  pur- 
chased to  carry  the  bales  of  goods  and  provisions  for  the 
journey,  and  they  then  started.  In  buying  his  goods  Angus 
had  only  purchased  two  costly  shawls,  which  he  intended 
as  a  present  for  Saleh,  or,  if  he  failed  with  him,  for  one  of 
the  officers  under  him.  With  this  exception,  the  bales  were 
filled  with  trifles  such  as  might  tempt  the  soldiers,  and  with 
stuffs  which  would,  he  was  sure,  be  very  welcome  to  the 
ladies,  who  must,  naturally,  be  in  a  sore  plight  for  garments, 
as  what  baggage  they  had  started  with  must  have  been  lost 
in  the  passes,  and  they  could  have  had  little  opportunity  of 
replenishing  their  wardrobe  during  their  captivity. 

They  travelled  rapidly,  halting  only  for  a  few  hours  when 
(H807)  x 


322  TO  HERAT  AND  CABUL 

it  was  necessary  to  give  their  horses  a  rest.  As  the  ladies 
were  carried  in  litters,  and  there  was  no  reason  why  they 
should  be  hurried  on  their  journey,  Angus  knew  that  he 
must  be  gaining  fast  upon  the  captives  and  their  escort, 
and  indeed  he  reached  Bamian  only  a  few  hours  after 
them. 

He  put  up  at  a  little  khan,  while  Hassan  and  his  men 
went  off  to  their  village  to  see  the  families  from  whom  they 
had  been  so  long  separated.  Hassan  found  his  wife  in  un- 
disturbed possession  of  the  little  fort,  and  there  was  great 
joy  in  the  village  when  it  was  found  that  he  and  his  men 
had  returned  with  funds  that  would  enable  them  to  pass 
the  coming  winter  in  comfort,  and  largely  to  increase  their 
stock  of  animals.  That  evening  two  or  three  sheep  were 
killed,  and  a  general  feast  was  held  in  honour  of  the  return 
of  the  chief  and  his  followers.  As  nothing  was  talked  of  in 
the  little  town  but  the  arrival  of  the  British  captives,  Angus 
had  no  difficulty  in  learning  that  these  had  been  lodged  in  a 
little  fort  close  to  the  place.  He  did  not  attempt  to  open  his 
bales  of  goods,  although  several  of  the  people  came  to  him  to 
ask  him  to  do  so,  for  so  few  traders  had  visited  the  place  since 
the  troubles  began,  that  the  stores  had  long  been  empty. 
There  had,  too,  been  a  good  deal  of  plundering  since  the 
British  force  there  had  retired.  Angus  was  obliged  to  explain 
that  he  had  only  brought  a  few  trifles  with  him,  as  his  pur- 
pose was  to  buy  Turkoman  carpets  and  other  goods  at  Khoo- 
loom,  and  that  he  had  sold  off  almost  all  the  stock  he  had 
brought  from  Cashmere  at  Cabul. 

Leaving  Azim  at  the  khan  to  see  that  his  goods  were  not 
stolen,  he  strolled  out.  The  place  was  full  of  the  men  of 
the  escort,  who  showed  much  discontent  on  finding  that 
neither  fruit  nor  any  other  of  the  little  luxuries  to  which 
they  were  accustomed  could  be  bought  at  Bamian.  Angus 
had  no  difficulty  in  entering  into  conversation  with  some  of 


THE  BRITISH  CAPTIVES  323 

them.  He  had  brought  with  him  a  considerable  quantity 
of  good  tobacco,  and  when  he  produced  a  pouch  and  invited 
them  to  fill  their  pipes  he  at  once  won  their  good-will. 

"  How  quickly  have  you  come  from  Cabul  ?  Was  there 
any  news  when  you  left  there  ?  " 

"  We  have  travelled  fast,"  he  said.  "  You  have  had  three 
days'  start  of  us,  and  I  arrived  here  this  afternoon.  No, 
there  was  no  news.  They  say  that  the  infidels  are  halting 
at  Gundamuck.  The  chiefs  are  gathering  in  the  passes  with 
all  their  forces,  but  have  not  yet  moved." 

"  I  should  have  thought  that  they  would  have  had  enough 
of  our  passes;  they  will  meet  with  the  same  fate  as  those 
who  tried  to  go  down  them." 

"  It  should  be  so,"  Angus  replied.  "  Who  can  withstand 
your  people  when  they  are  fighting  among  your  own  hills? 
You  must  have  travelled  slowly,  since  we  gained  three  days 
upon  you." 

"  We  made  very  short  journeys,"  the  man  said.  "  You 
see,  we  were  encumbered  with  these  women  and  children, 
for  whom  it  must  have  been  rough  work,  for  the  nights  are 
already  cold.  I  shall  be  glad  when  we  get  to  Khooloom 
and  hand  them  over  to  the  governor  there.  But  I  will  say 
for  them  that  they  have  borne  up  bravely.  I  can  tell  you 
that  we  are  all  disgusted  at  having  to  be  making  this 
journey  with  them  instead  of  taking  our  share  of  the  spoil 
that  will  be  gathered  in  the  passes." 

"  Yes,  it  must  be  annoying  to  brave  men  to  be  thus  wast- 
ing their  time  when  great  things  are  being  done,  to  say 
nothing  of  losing  their  share  of  the  booty  to  be  gathered, 
Have  you  a  good  commander  ? " 

"  Yes,  we  have  no  cause  to  grumble  on  that  account.  Saleh 
Mahomed  is  a  bold  soldier  and  a  cheerful  fellow,  is  not 
unduly  harsh,  and  as  long  as  we  keep  our  arms  in  good 
order,  and  obey  his  orders,  he  asks  no  questions  when  one 


324  TO  HERAT  AND  CABUL 

of  us  comes  in  with  a  sheep  fastened  to  his  saddle.  But 
there  has  been  no  chance  of  getting  anything  to  help  out 
our  rations,  for  the  two  or  three  little  villages  we  have 
passed  since  we  left  the  valley  are  for  the  most  part  deserted. 
There  are  women  there,  but  the  men  have  not  yet  come 
down  from  the  hills  with  the  flocks,  and  none  of  us  have 
tasted  meat  since  we  started.  Saleh  Mahomed  is  a  man  who 
has  travelled  much  and  seen  many  things.  He  was  an  officer 
in  the  English  army,  but  he  would  not  fight  against  us,  and 
two  years  ago,  when  Dost  Mahomed  with  his  army  came 
here,  he  went  over  to  him  with  his  company  of  Sepoys.  He 
was  not  a  chief,  but  was  a  tribesman  near  the  frontier. 
There  are  many  of  them,  they  say,  in  the  service  of  the 
infidels;  and  he  had  done  well  for  himself." 

"I  suppose  the  captive  women  must  be  in  want  of  warm 
clothes.  I  have  not  a  large  stock  of  goods,  but  among 
them  are  several  warm  robes,  which  I  would  sell  cheaply  to 
them,  for  I  wish  to  clear  away  my  remaining  stock,  as  I 
intend  to  buy  Turkoman  carpets  at  Khooloom  and  Balkh; 
and  besides  these  I  have  some  stuff  which  doubtless  the 
women  here  would  buy  to  make  garments  for  the  children. 
Think  you  that  Saleh  would  let  me  traffic  with  them?" 

"  That  I  could  not  say ;  but  if  you  have  anything  in  your 
pack  that  would  please  him  he  might  perhaps  let  you  do  so. 
You  seem  a  good  fellow,  if  you  like  I  will  take  you  to  him 
to-morrow  morning." 

"  Thank  you  for  your  offer.  When  I  meet  you  I  will  have 
a  pound  of  good  tobacco,  which  I  shall  beg  you  to  accept/' 

"I  will  be  here.  I  shall  be  one  of  the  guards  to-night 
round  the  fort,  but  shall  be  free  in  the  morning." 

"  Does  Saleh  Mahomed  sleep  there  ?  " 

"  No,  it  is  a  miserable  and  dirty  place.  He  lodges  at  the 
house  of  the  headman  there." 

Early  in  the  morning  Hassan  came  down  to  the  khan. 


THE  BRITISH  CAPTIVES  325 

"  Now,  sahib,  you  have  only  to  tell  us  what  you  want  us  to 
do,  and  you  can  rely  upon  us." 

"  For  the  present  there  is  nothing.  I  am  going  to  see 
Saleh  Mahomed  this  morning,  and  try  to  get  permission  to 
sell  some  of  my  goods  to  the  captives.  I  may  then  be  able 
to  learn  something  of  his  disposition  towards  them,  and  how 
he  behaved  to  them  during  the  journey.  It  is  important 
that  I  should  know  this  before  giving  him  the  message  from 
the  moonshee." 

"  It  would  be  well  to  do  so,  master ;  but  from  what  I  hear 
the  moonshee  has  been  negotiating  with  many  of  the  chiefs, 
who  are  willing  enough  to  take  his  money,  but  who  do  not 
carry  out  their  part  of  the  bargain.  However,  I  have  not 
heard  that  any  of  them  have  denounced  him.  He  is  always 
considered  to  be  the  chief  agent  of  the  English,  but  as  he 
spends  English  gold  freely,  and  as  it  is  well  to  have  some 
one  in  Cabul  through  whom  negotiations  could  be  entered 
into  with  them,  no  one  interferes  with  him." 

"  The  only  thing  that  you  can  do  for  the  present  is  to  go 
round  among  your  friends,  talk  to  them  about  the  captives, 
and  say  that  it  is  a  disgrace  that  they  should  be  sent  as 
captives  among  the  Usbegs  after  having  received  promises 
of  protection,  and  having  willingly  submitted  themselves  as 
hostages.  Of  course  you  will  do  it  carefully;  but  if  you  can 
create  a  feeling  in  their  favour,  and  make  them  afterwards 
win  over  a  portion  of  the  escort,  something  might  be  done. 
Of  course  you  can  say,  and  truly,  that  Sadut  Khan,  Dost 
Mahomed's  nephew  by  marriage,  is  most  indignant  at  this 
breach  of  faith,  and  that  you  believe  that  many  other  chiefs 
share  his  feeling." 

"  I  will  set  about  it  at  once.  The  tribesmen  here  have 
not  the  same  animosity  against  the  English  as  those  at 
Cabul.  The  English  troops  wHen  they  were  here  behaved 
well;  they  took  no  man's  goods  without  payment,  and  the 


326  TO  HERAT  AND  CABUL 

tribesmen  got  better  prices  for  their  sheep  and  cattle  than 
they  had  ever  got  before.  They  care  little  who  rules  at 
Cabul,  and  it  is  nothing  to  them  whether  it  is  the  Baruk- 
zyes  or  a  Dooranee." 

The  next  morning  Angus  met  the  Afghan  soldier.  "  Here 
is  the  tobacco  I  promised  you;  it  is  good  stuff." 

"If  it  is  like  that  you  gave  me  yesterday,  I  shall  be  very 
content.  Now,  come  with  me  to  Saleh;  he  is  a  good  fellow 
if  you  find  him  in  the  humour."  The  officer  was  alone  when 
they  entered.  "  Saleh  Mahomed,"  the  soldier  said,  "  this  is 
a  trader  from  Cashmere,  Syud  Moorteza;  he  will  tell  you 
his  business.  He  seems  to  be  a  good  fellow,  and  has  some 
excellent  tobacco." 

Having  thus  introduced  Angus  he  left  the  room. 

"What  is  it  that  you  want  with  me?"  Saleh  asked  in 
Persian.  Angus  replied  in  the  same  language,  "I  am  a 
trader,  my  lord,  and  wish  to  get  rid  of  some  of  the  wares 
I  am  carrying.  They  are  but  few,  as  I  am  going  north  to 
purchase  and  not  to  sell.  I  would  willingly  rid  myself  of 
a  part  of  them.  Among  them  are  warm  dresses  and  stuffs. 
I  am  told  that  the  persons  in  your  charge  are  but  thinly 
clad,  and  I  doubt  not  that  they  would  willingly  buy  these 
goods  of  me." 

The  Afghan  laughed.  "  They  would  willingly  have  them, 
no  doubt;  but  as  to  buying,  they  are  altogether  without 
money.  Those  who  were  in  charge  of  them  saw  to  that 
before  they  were  handed  over  to  me." 

"I  should  not  mind  that,  my  lord.  I  have  had  dealings 
with  Englishmen  who  have  come  up  to  Cashmere,  and  they 
generally  take  a  store  of  shawls  and  other  things  back  with 
them  to  India.  We  always  find  that  they  are  true  to  their 
word,  and  we  take  their  orders  as  willingly  as  gold — more 
so,  indeed,  because  the  shroffs  in  India  take  them  anywhere, 
and  it  saves  our  having  to  send  money  there  for  the  pur- 


THE  BRITISH  CAPTIVES  327 

chase  of  goods  in  India.  Thus,  then,  if  they  gave  me  orders 
on  their  people  at  Calcutta  or  Bombay,  I  would  more  will- 
ingly accept  them  than  gold,  which  is  a  dangerous  commodity 
to  carry." 

"  But  you  say  that  you  are  going  to  purchase  goods." 

"  That  is  so,  my  lord,  but  I  do  not  carry  money  to  do  so. 
I  pay  for  them  with  orders  upon  a  merchant  at  Herat  to 
whom  I  am  well-known,  and  who  acts  as  my  agent,  and 
buys  for  me  such  goods  as  I  require  from  Persia.  I  have 
not  come  empty-handed  to  you,  my  lord.  It  is  right  that  if 
you  do  me  the  favour  of  allowing  me  to  trade  with  your 
prisoners,  you  should  share  in  the  benefit.  I  have  with  me 
here  a  cashmere  shawl.  I  do  not  say  that  it  is  worthy  of 
your  acceptance,  but  it  is  handsome  and  of  the  best  wool, 
and  will  make  a  warm  girdle." 

Saleh  was  fond  of  finery.     "Let  me  look  at  it,"  he  said. 

Angus  undid  the  parcel  and  held  the  shawl  up,  and  closely 
watched  the  Afghan  as  he  examined  it.  He  saw  that  he 
was  pleased  with  it.  However,  the  chief  said,  "  I  say  not 
that  it  is  not  a  good  shawl,  but  it  is  not  of  the  best  quality. 
I  have  been  at  Srinagar." 

"  'Tis  not  of  the  best,  my  lord — I  would  not  try  to  de- 
ceive one  like  yourself — but  it  is  the  best  I  have,  and  I  can 
hardly  hope  to  make  more  than  its  value  from  these  people." 

"It  is  worth  about  two  hundred  rupees,"  Saleh  said. 

"Your  lordship  is  not  to  be  deceived,  that  is  the  very 
sum  I  gave  for  it;  but  it  is  worth  much  more  here." 

"  You  seem  to  be  an  honest  man,"  Saleh  said,  throwing 
the  shawl  down  on  the  divan  from  which  he  had  risen.  "  And 
in  truth  I  should  be  well  content  that  the  prisoners  were 
better  supplied  with  garments  in  the  cold  weather  that  is 
setting  in.  I  am  ordered  to  conduct  them  safely  to  KTioo- 
loom,  but  nought  was  said  against  my  providing  them  with 
such  comforts  on  the  way  as  they  could  obtain.  To-day  I 


328  TO  HERAT  AND  CABUL 

am  busy;  I  have  to  see  that  the  men  are  well  quartered  and 
fed.  To-morrow  if  you  come  here  with  your  goods  I  will 
myself  take  you  to  the  place  where  they  are  confined;  but 
mind  that  no  word  is  said  to  them  save  concerning  your 
merchandise." 

"What  words  should  I  say,  my  lord?  But  doubtless  one 
of  your  men  will  be  present  and  see  that  I  confine  myself 
to  my  business." 

"Then  come  at  this  hour  to-morrow." 

Angus  bowed  deeply  and  then  left,  delighted  that  he  had 
obtained  permission  to  see  the  captives. 

That  day  the  prisoners  were  taken  to  another  fort,  Saleh 
being  moved  by  their  complaints  of  the  dirt  and  want  of 
accommodation  in  the  little  fort  in  which  they  were  crowded. 
The  place  was  but  a  little  better  than  the  one  they  had  left, 
but  there  was  somewhat  more  room. 

Hassan  came  to  Angus  in  the  evening.  "  I  have  seen 
many  of  my  friends,"  he  said,  "  and  have  spoken  as  you 
told  me.  They  are  indignant.  I  told  them  that  Dost  Ma- 
homed and  his  family,  and  that  of  Akbar,  are  honourably 
treated  in  India,  and  are  allowed  a  large  income  by  the  gov- 
ernment there,  and  live  with  every  comfort  and  luxury,  and 
it  is  a  disgrace  to  our  nation  that  such  treatment  should 
be  meted  out  to  the  officers  who  are  hostages,  and  the  ladies 
and  their  families.  I  do  not  say  that  they  will  be  disposed 
to  hazard  their  own  safety  by  taking  any  active  measures, 
but  if  the  soldiers  were  to  show  any  disposition  favourable 
to  the  captives,  they  would  assuredly  take  no  hostile  steps 
against  them." 

"  I  have  strong  hopes  that  I  may  succeed  with  Saleh.  He 
has  taken  a  bribe  from  me  to  permit  me  to  sell  goods  to 
the  prisoners,  and  he  may  be  willing  to  take  a  vastly  greater 
one  to  release  them." 

"  My  men  have  been  going  about  among  the  soldiers,  sahib. 


THE  BBITISH  CAPTIVES  329 

They  are  discontented  at  this  journey  they  have  taken,  and 
at  the  prospect  of  a  still  farther  one,  and  if  their  com- 
mander gave  them  the  order  to  return,  they  would  not,  I 
think,  hesitate  to  obey." 

"Let  your  men  continue  at  that  work,  but  let  them  be 
careful  not  to  appear  to  be  too  warmly  interested.  Let 
them  avoid  at  present  all  mention  of  captives,  and  simply 
inflame  the  men's  minds  by  talking  of  the  hardships  of  their 
being  sent  on  such  a  journey  when  so  much  booty  is  likely 
to  be  picked  up  in  the  passes.  It  is  not  likely  that  if  Saleh 
orders  them  to  proceed  on  their  journey  they  will  refuse 
to  do  so,  but  if  he  learns  from  his  officers  that  the  men 
would  gladly  obey  him  if  he  ordered  them  to  return,  it  may 
help  him  to  decide  to  accept  the  offer  I  have  to  make  him. 
I  shall  put  off  doing  so  till  the  last  moment,  because  at  any 
time  news  may  come  that  Pollock  and  Nott  are  both  beat- 
ing back  all  opposition  and  advancing  on  Cabul,  and  in 
that  case  he  may  see  that  his  interest  lies  in  siding  with 
them  rather  than  with  Akbar." 

In  the  morning  Angus  rode  with  Saleh  to  the  fort,  Azim 
following  with  the  pony  carrying  the  bales  of  goods.  Two 
men  stood  as  sentries  on  the  platform  on  the  top  of  the 
plain,  half  a  dozen  others  were  posted  round  it.  The  officer 
in  charge  came  out. 

"  Have  you  anything  to  report,  Suleiman  ? " 

"  No,  captain,  except  that  the  prisoners  complain  that  this 
place  is  little  better  than  the  last  they  were  confined  in." 

"  They  are  particular,  these  ladies  and  gentlemen,"  Saleh 
said  with  a  laugh.  "  The  place  might  be  better,  no  doubt, 
but  they  will  be  lucky  if  they  do  not  find  themselves  very 
much  worse  lodged  when  they  get  among  the  Usbegs." 

"  Major  Pottinger  was  asking,  captain,  that  a  few  blankets 
should  be  given  them  for  the  use  of  the  women  and  chil- 
dren." 


330  TO  HEBAT  AND  CABUL 

"  We  will  see  about  it.  However,  this  trader  here  has 
some  warm  robes  to  sell,  and  they  may  just  as -well  pay  for 
the  things  themselves  as  that  I  should  put  my  hand  into 
my  pocket,  for  my  instructions  said  nothing  about  buying 
things  of  this  sort  for  them;  and  from  the  manner  in 
which  Prince  Akbar  gave  me  my  orders,  I  should  say  that 
the  more  they  suffered  the  better  he  would  be  pleased.  How- 
ever, I  am  sorry  for  them,  and  have  given  permission  to  this 
Cashmerian  to  see  them  and  try  to  sell  his  goods  to  them." 

The  officer  looked  doubtful.  "  I  do  not  think  there  is  a 
rupee  among  them." 

"  No,  but  the  trader  has  faith  that  if  they  give  him  notes 
for  his  goods,  their  people  will  assuredly  cash  them." 

"  He  must  be  a  very  confiding  fellow,"  the  officer  said. 

"  No ;  by  what  he  says  the  shroffs  of  all  the  large  cities 
in  India  are  always  ready  to  take  the  notes  of  English 
officers,  and  that  he  himself  has  done  so  in  Cashmere. 

"At  any  rate  you  can  take  him  up  to  their  apartments, 
but  remain  in  the  room  while  he  bargains  with  them.  I 
do  not  mind  his  carrying  on  his  trade,  but  see  that  he  in 
no  way  communicates  with  them  save  in  the  matter  of  his 
business." 

Saleh  went  up  with  Angus,  followed  by  the  officer  and 
Azim,  who  was  assisted  by  the  soldiers  to  carry  up  the 
goods.  A  sentry  was  sitting  before  the  door  at  the  top  of 
the  stairs  with  his  musket  across  his  knee.  As  Saleh  came 
up,  he  rose  and  took  a  key  hanging  on  a  nail  on  the  wall 
beside  him  and  opened  the  door. 

"I  hear  that  you  are  still  not  content  with  your  lodging, 
Captain  Johnson,"  Saleh  said  as  he  entered.  "  Well,  what 
would  you  have  ?  These  towers  are  all  alike,  and  do  not 
come  up  to  our  ideas  of  comfort  in  Cabul;  and  as  glass  is 
scarcely  known  in  Bamian,  no  doubt  you  feel  it  cold  at 
night." 


ANGUS   SHOWS   HIS   GOODS   TO   THE   PRISONERS. 


THE  BRITISH  CAPTIVES  331 

"  If  we  had  a  few  blankets  to  hang  across  the  windows 
the  ladies  would  not  feel  it  so  much,  Saleh." 

"  That  is  so ;  and  as  I  am  anxious  that  they  should  not, 
while  under  my  charge,  feel  greater  discomfort  than  neces- 
sary, I  have  permitted  this  trader,  Syud  Moorteza,  to  enter. 
He  has,  he  tells  me,  some  warm  robes  and  other  things 
which  he  is  ready  to  sell,  and  as  I  told  him  that  before  you 
came'  into  my  charge  all  your  money  had  been  taken  away, 
he  is  ready  to  take  your  notes  upon  a  banker  at  Calcutta 
or  Bombay  in  payment." 

Captain  Johnson  knew  the  Cashmerian,  as  he  had  ren- 
dered invaluable  assistance  in  obtaining  grain.  Angus,  who 
was  acquainted  with  him,  had  the  more  willingly  adopted 
his  name  because  the  man  was  'about  his  own  height  and 
build,  and  there  was  even  some  resemblance  in  feature.  Cap- 
tain Johnson  therefore  looked  with  interest  at  the  trader, 
who  was  standing  a  little  behind  Saleh.  For  a  moment  he 
seemed  puzzled  but  Angus  had  his  hand  on  his  chin  and 
suddenly  moved  two  fingers  across  his  lips  and  very  slightly 
shook  his  head.  Johnson  understood  the  gesture,  and  re- 
plied to  Saleh:  "The  man  is  right;  he  may  be  sure  that 
whatever  happens  to  us  our  friends  will  see  that  he  is  paid 
for  any  goods  we  may  buy  of  him.  We  will  write  a  letter 
in  Persian,  which  you  can  read  to  our  friends,  saying  that 
this  man  has  trusted  us  and  that  our  orders  are  to  be  hon- 
oured." 

The  ladies,  who  were  in  the  next  room,  were  called  in. 
The  Afghan  commander,  who  had  nothing  to  do,  remained 
with  his  officer,  being  interested  in  the  contents  of  the 
trader's  bales.  Azim  opened  them,  and  spread  the  articles 
out  on  the  floor  for  inspection.  Angus  was  greatly  con- 
cerned at  the  appearance  of  the  ladies,  to  all  of  whom  he 
was  known.  His  disguise,  however,  had  so  completely 
changed  his  appearance  that  none  of  them  recognized  him. 


332  TO  HERAT  AND  CABUL 

His  face  was  darkened,  his  eyebrows  and  hair  had  been 
stained  black,  and  by  the  assistance  of  some  false  hair  the 
latter  was  arranged  in  the  fashion  worn  by  the  man  he 
represented.  Syud  Moorteza  was  of  the  Hindoo  religion, 
and  Angus  had  imitated  his  caste  marks  on  the  forehead, 
which  alone  greatly  altered  his  appearance.  But  the  ladies 
scarcely  looked  at  him.  Their  delight  at  seeing  the  warm 
robes  and  woollen  cloths  was  great  indeed.  Here  was  a 
prospect  that  their  sufferings  from  cold  would  be  alleviated, 
and  that  their  children  could  now  be  warmly  clad. 

Among  the  smaller  articles  in  his  bale  Angus  included 
a  good  supply  of  needles  and  thread,  buttons,  and  other 
small  necessaries.  The  ladies  saw  at  once  that  from  the 
soft  woolen  cloths  they  would  be  able  to  make  an  abund- 
ance of  warm  clothing  for  the  children.  Angus  expatiated 
after  the  manner  of  a  trader  on  the  quality  of  his  goods. 
Holding  up  a  warm  robe  to  Captain  Johnson,  he  said: 
"  This  would  suit  you,  my  lord ;  it  will  keep  you  warm  in 
the  coldest  night." 

"  You  have  not  more  than  enough  for  the  ladies,"  Captain 
Johnson  said.  "  If  there  is  anything  over  after  they  have 
made  their  purchases,  we  shall  be  glad  to  take  the  rest  of 
your  cloth.  We  can  wind  it  round  us." 

"  But  feel  the  quality  of  this  robe,  my  lord,"  Angus 
urged,  with  a  wink  that  was  understood  by  the  officer,  who 
at  once  took  hold  of  it.  As  he  did  so  Angus  slipped  a  note, 
which  he  had  folded  to  the  smallest  possible  dimensions,  into 
his  hands. 

"Yes,  it  is  good  material,"  he  said  quietly;  "but,  as  I 
have  just  said,  these  must  be  for  the  ladies."  And  he 
turned  away  as  if  unwilling  to  be  tempted,  and  presently 
sauntered  into  the  next  room.  In  order  to  keep  up  his 
character  Angus  asked  fully  five  times  the  proper  value  for 
his  goods.  But  the  captives  had  no  thought  of  bargain- 


THE  BRITISH  CAPTIVES  333 

ing;  for  these  goods  would  be  of  the  greatest  comfort  to 
themselves  and  their  children,  as  coverings  for  the  night, 
and  as  wraps  during  the  passage  of  the  passes,  for  in  addi- 
tion to  the  clothes  and  cloth,  there  were  silk  mufflers  for  the 
neck,  and  warm  jackets  lined  with  astrakhan  fur.  Nor  were 
the  needles  and  thread  less  prized.  Their  clothes  and  those 
of  the  children  were  in  rags,  and  they  would  be  most  useful 
for  mending,  as  well  as  the  making  of  new  clothes.  Some 
of  them  almost  cried  with  joy  at  the  thought  of  the  comfort 
that  this  would  be  to  their  little  ones. 

In  a  few  minutes  the  greater  portion  of  the  contents  of 
the  bales  was  disposed  of.  "  The  best  way,"  Pottinger  said, 
"  will  be  for  Lawrence,  Mackenzie,  and  myself,  as  the  three 
political  officers,  to  give  this  man  an  order  signed  by  the 
three  of  us  on  our  agent  at  Calcutta,  and  I  will  write  an 
open  letter  to  accompany  it,  authorizing  any  British  officer 
or  banker  to  cash  the  note  when  it  is  presented,  and  to  send 
it  on  to  my  agent.  The  man  has  done  us  an  inestimable 
service,  and  it  will  facilitate  his  getting  the  money.  Where 
are  you  thinking  of  cashing  this  ? "  he  asked. 

"At  Herat." 

"  Then  I  will  also  give  you  a  note  to  a  trader  there.  He 
has  a  shop  in  the  great  bazaar,  and  is  a  friend  of  mine.  He 
has  relations  with  business  men  in  India,  and  will,  I  am 
sure,  cash  it  for  you  at  once  should  you  desire  cash,  or  will 
furnish  you  in  exchange  with  bills  on  some  merchant  in 
Candahar."  He  then  mentioned  the  trader's  name. 

"  That  will  suit  me  well,"  Angus  said.  "  I  know  the 
man  by  name,  having  been  myself  at  Herat.  He  is  of  good 
repute,  and  I  am  sure  that  he  or  any  other  merchant  having 
dealings  in  India  would  gladly  cash  the  order,  as  it  would 
be  far  safer  to  send  than  money." 

It  was  not  until  the  purchases  had  all  been  made  that 
Captain  Johnson  re-entered  the  room,  came  and  stood  by 


334  TO  HERAT  AND  OABUL 

Angus,  asking  a  few  questions  as  to  the  goods;  when  the 
two  Afghans  were  looking  another  way  he  passed  a  note 
into  the  pretended  merchant's  hand.  Presently  he  said: 
"  But  we  have  no  pen  and  ink  to  write  this  order  ? " 

"I  have  them,  sahib,"  Angus  said,  taking  an  ink-bottle 
and  pen,  such  as  were  always  carried  by  traders,  from  his 
pocket,  together  with  several  sheets  of  paper.  The  price  of 
all  the  goods  was  added  up;  then  Pottinger  wrote  an  order 
for  the  amount,  which  was  signed  by  himself,  Lawrence, 
and  Mackenzie.  Then  Johnson  took  Pottinger  aside  as  if 
to  discuss  the  terms  of  the  letters. 

"  That  man  is  not  Syud  Moorteza  at  all,"  he  said.  "  Don't 
turn  round  and  look  at  him.  He  has  given  me  a  note,  and 
I  am  answering  it.  Who  do  you  think  it  is  ? " 

'  I  have  been  a  little  puzzled,  not  by  his  face,  but  by  his 
voice.  I  have  it  now — it  is  Angus  Campbell." 

"  You  have  guessed  right.  He  has  come  up  by  himself 
through  the  passes  to  try  and  overtake  us.  He  bears  a 
message  from  Mohun  Lai  to  Saleh,  saying  that  he  shall  be 
given  a  pension  of  a  thousand  rupees  a  month  and  a  present 
of  thirty  thousand  if  he  will  hand  over  the  captives  to  the 
British  general  when  he  reaches  Cabuh  He  has  asked  my 
opinion  as  to  whether  it  would  be  safe  to  make  the  proposi- 
tion to  the  man,  or  whether  he  had  better  wait  until  news 
comes  that  Pollock  has  defeated  Akbar  in  the  passes.  I 
have  told  him  that  I  have  already  sounded  Saleh,  and  that 
though  he  passed  the  matter  off,  I  believe  he  is  open  to 
take  a  bribe  if  he  hears  that  Nott  and  Pollock  are  making 
their  way  up.  He  says  that  if  bad  news  comes — and  I 
think  it  would  then  be  useless  to  approach  Saleh — he  will 
make  an  attempt  with  some  men  he  has  with  him  to  effect 
your  escape,  and  also  mine,  and  that  of  Mackenzie  and 
Lawrence.  Boyd,  of  course,  would  not  leave  his  wife  and 


THE  BRITISH  CAPTIVES  335 

family,  and  it  would  be  impossible  to  take  the  women  and 
children  with  us." 

"  Campbell  is  a  splendid  fellow !  "  Pottinger  said.  "  He 
behaved  wonderfully  well  at  Herat,  and  I  was  sure  that  in 
time  he  would  make  a  very  fine  officer.  It  is  a  noble  thing1, 
his  undertaking  such  a  tremendous  risk." 

The  letters  were  now  written  and  handed  to  Angus.  Saleh, 
however,  took  them  from  his  hands  and  read  them,  and  then 
handed  them  back,  after  assuring  himself  that  there  was 
nothing  written  but  what  had  been  agreed  upon.  Then  he 
and  the  officer  went  downstairs  with  Angus  and  Azim,  the 
latter  carrying  easily  enough  the  one  small  bale  that  sufficed 
for  the  goods  unsold. 

"You  have  made  a  nice  sum  out  of  this,"  Saleh  said. 

"  I  have  had  a  long  journey  with  my  goods,"  Angus  replied 
humbly ;  "  but  they  were  well  contented,  and  paid  without 
bargaining  the  prices  I  asked.  I  feel,  my  lord,  that  I  am 
greatly  indebted  to  you  for  the  opportunity.  I  have  not 
money  with  me — we  traders  never  carry  cash,  and  I  shall 
have  to  wait  many  months  before  I  receive  the  price  of 
the  goods — nevertheless,  my  lord,  I  will  willingly  give  you 
in  token  of  my  gratitude  another  shawl  equal  to  the  last; 
I  have  brought  with  me  only  two.  And  you  can  select  any 
goods  you  like  from  those  remaining.  There  are  many  silk 
things  among  them,  for  they  only  bought  such  as  were 
needed  for  wear." 

Saleh  was  well  satisfied,  and  telling  Angus  that  he  might 
call  round  in  the  evening  with  some  of  the  silk  embroidered 
scarfs,  he  allowed  him  to  return  to  the  camp.  Two  days 
passed,  and  then  a  horseman  rode  in  with  the  news  that 
Akbar  had  been  defeated  at  Tezeen,  but  would  fight  an- 
other battle,  and,  as  he  was .  being  joined  by  many  chiefs, 
would  doubtless  overthrow  the  infidels.  The  news  spread 


336  TO  HERAT  AND  CABUL 

rapidly  and  caused  much  excitement  in  the  camp,  which 
was  heightened  by  the  fact  that  the  man  said  that  there 
was  a  report  that  Ghuznee  had  been  captured  by  the  British 
force  that  was  marching  from  Candahar. 

Angus  went  in  the  evening  and  requested  a  private  inter- 
view with  Saleh.  As  Johnson  had  told  him  in  his  note, 
the  Afghan  had  already  been  revolving  in  his  mind  whether 
he  could  not  do  better  for  himself  by  halting  at  Bamiaa 
until  he  knew  how  affairs  would  turn  out  at  Cabul.  John- 
son, who  had  become  very  intimate  with  him  on  the  journey, 
had  said  casually  that  the  British  government  would  as- 
suredly pay  a  large  sum  for  the  return  of  the  captives.  He 
had  taken  no  notice  of  the  remark  at  the  time,  but  had 
thought  a  good  deal  of  it.  He  knew  that  money  had  been 
lavishly  spent  among  the  chiefs,  and  it  seemed  to  him  that 
he  too  might  have  a  share  in  the  golden  flood. 

He  was  a  shrewd  man  as  well  as  an  unscrupulous  one. 
He  had  three  times  before  deserted  his  employers  when  better 
offers  had  been  made  to  him,  and  it  seemed  to  him  that 
he  had  it  now  in  his  power  to  procure  a  sum  that  would 
make  him  rich  for  life.  He  had  been  told  by  his  sub-officers 
that  there  was  a  growing  disaffection  among  the  men,  that 
many  of  them  openly  grumbled  at  the  prospect  of  the  journey 
to  Khooloom,  and  that  some  of  the  Bamian  petty  chiefs  had 
been  going  among  them,  and,  they  believed,  stirring  up 
a  feeling  against  the  journey.  He  had  from  the  first  enter- 
tained some  suspicion  of  this  Cashmerian  trader.  Why 
should  he  not  have  bought  a  larger  store  of  Indian  goods 
to  exchange  with  the  Turkomans? 

His  doubt  as  to  the  best  course  to  pursue  had  been 
heightened  at  the  news  that  he  had  received  that  afternoon. 
What  would  happen  if  the  British  again  settled  down  at 
Cabul?  They  would  doubtless  send  a  force  to  endeavour 
to  rescue  the  captives.  And  although  he  might  be  at  Khoo- 


THE  BRITISH  CAPTIVES  337 

loom  before  they  did  so,  his  situation  would  then  be  a  most 
unpleasant  one.  Akbar,  as  a  fugitive,  could  no  longer  pay 
him  and  his  troops;  they  would,  of  course,  leave  him,  and 
he  would  not  dare  to  return  to  Cabul.  He  was  thinking 
over  these  matters  when  Angus  was  ushered  in.  The  latter 
had  already  decided  that  he  would  for  the  present  maintain 
the  character  that  he  had  assumed.  If  Saleh  knew  that  he 
was  a  British  officer  he  would  assuredly,  if  he  remained 
faithful  to  his  charge,  arrest  him  also;  but  as  merely  the 
agent  of  Mohun  Lai,  one  of  the  most  influential  men  in 
Cabul,  the  Afghan  would  probably  allow  him  to  depart  un- 
harmed, even  if  he  refused  the  offered  bribe. 

"  I  have  not  come  to  you  this  evening  to  talk  of  mer- 
chandise, Saleh  Mahomed,"  Angus  began.  "I  have  come 
upon  a  more  important  matter.  As  you  know,  the  troops 
from  Jellalabad  have  defeated  Akbar,  and  are  making  their 
way  up  through  the  passes.  They  will  defeat  him  again  if 
he  fights  them.  The  troops  from  Candahar  have  reached 
Ghuznee,  and  assuredly  there  is  no  force  that  can  arrest 
their  progress  to  Cabul.  I  have  only  waited  for  this  to  speak 
openly  to  you.  I  am  sent  here  by  Mohun  Lai.  He  author- 
izes me  to  promise  you,  in  his  name  and  that  of  General 
Pollock,  a  pension  of  a  thousand  rupees  a  month,  and  a  gift 
of  thirty  thousand  rupees,  if  you  will  hold  the  prisoners  here 
until  a  British  force  arrives  to  carry  them  back  to  Cabul.'' 

The  Afghan  showed  no  surprise.  "  I  suspected,"  he  said, 
"  all  along  that  you  had  come  here  for  some  other  motive 
than  trade.  What  guarantee  does  Mohun  Lai  offer  that 
these  terms  shall  be  fulfilled  ? " 

"It  would  not  have  been  safe  for  him  to  have  entrusted 
such  a  message  to  paper,"  Angus  said,  "  but  he  gives  you 
his  word." 

"  Words  are  no  guarantee,"  Saleh  said,  "  especially  the 
word  of  a  chief." 

(M807)  * 


338  TO  HERAT  AND  CABUL 

"I  would  suggest,  Saleh  Mahomed,  that  you  have  it  in 
your  power  to  obtain  a  guarantee  that  even  you  will  ac- 
knowledge to  be  a  binding  one.  You  have  in  your  hands 
three  men  whose  names  are  known  throughout  Afghanistan 
and  through  India  as  those  of  men  of  honour.  You  have 
Major  Pottinger,  Captain  Lawrence,  and  Mr.  Mackenzie, 
all  men  whose  word  would  be  accepted  unhesitatingly  to 
whatever  promise  they  might  make.  They  and  the  other 
officers  would,  I  am  sure,  give  you  a  written  guarantee  that 
the  offer  made  by  Mohun  Lai  shall  be  confirmed  and  carried 
out  by  the  government  of  India." 

"  What  should  I  do  with  money  without  employment  ? " 

"If  you  desire  employment,  I  have  no  doubt  that  you 
would  be  granted,  in  addition  to  the  money  payment,  the 
command  of  a  native  regiment  raised  among  the  Pathans 
of  the  lower  hills." 

"  I  will  think  the  matter  over,"  the  Afghan  said,  and 
with  a  wave  of  the  hand  dismissed  Angus.  But  the  latter 
had  seen,  by  the  expression  of  Saleh's  face  when  he  men- 
tioned the  terms,  that  these  were  far  higher  than  he  had 
himself  ever  thought  of,  and  he  had  no  doubt  whatever  that 
they  would  be  accepted.  The  first  thing  in  the  morning 
lie  received  a  message  from  Saleh  Mahomed  requesting  him 
to  accompany  him  to  the  tower.  The  Afghan,  beyond  the 
usual  salute,  was  silent  during  the  ride.  On  dismounting 
Saleh  told  him  to  follow  him.  On  entering  the  prisoners' 
apartments  the  officer  said:  "You  are  aware  that  Prince 
Akbar's  orders  are  that  I  am  to  take  you  to  Khooloom.  I 
had  certainly  intended  to  do  so,  but  I  have  received  news 
that  leads  me  to  doubt  whether  he  may  be  in  a  position  to 
support  you  if  I  carry  out  the  orders.  Yesterday  after- 
noon I  heard  that  he  had  been  defeated  at  Tezeen.  He 
will  fight  again  with  a  stronger  force  than  before,  still  the 
issue  is  doubtful.  I  may  tell  you  that  the  messenger  also 


THE  BRITISH  CAPTIVES  339 

brought  to  the  fort  news  that  the  force  from  Candahar  had 
taken  Ghuznee." 

An  exclamation  of  joy  broke  from  the  prisoners. 

"  Another  thing  has  happened,"  the  Afghan  went  on. 
"  This  trader  last  night  informed  me  that  he  really  came 
here  on  a  mission  from  Mohan.  Lai.  He  promises  me,  in 
General  Pollock's  name,  that  if  I  release  you  and  carry 
you  to  Cabul  I  shall  be  granted  a  pension  of  a  thousand 
rupees  a  month  and  thirty  thousand  as  a  present.  I  know 
nothing  of  General  Pollock,  and  have  no  great  faith  in 
Mohun  Lai,  but  seeing  that  Akbar  may  be  even  now  a 
fugitive  and  your  two  armies  in  Cabul,  if  you  gentlemen 
will  swear  by  your  God  to  make  good  to  me  what  Syud 
Moorteza  states  he  is  authorized  to  offer,  I  will  hand  you 
over  to  your  own  people." 

The  offer  was  joyfully  accepted.  Angus  was  requested 
by  Saleh  to  draw  out  a  bond  to  that  effect  in  Persian,  and 
this  was  signed  by  Pottinger,  Lawrence,  Johnson,  and  Mac- 
kenzie. Another  agreement  was  then  drawn  up  by  Johnson, 
by  which  all  the  officers  bound  themselves  to  pay  as  many 
months'  pay  and  allowances,  in  accordance  with  their  rank, 
as  should  be  necessary  to  carry  out  the  terms  of  the  agree- 
ment, thus  satisfying  Saleh  that,  should  the  English  general 
refuse  to  ratify  the  first  agreement,  he  would  receive  the 
money  from  them.  To  this  all  the  prisoners  and  the  ladies 
signed  their  names,  Brigadier  Shelton  heading  the  list ;  while 
Lady  Macnaghten  and  Mrs.  Sturt,  who  were  widows,  bound 
themselves  in  a  codicil  to  pay  such  sums  as  might  be  de- 
manded from  them  by  Major  Pottinger  and  Captains  Law- 
rence and  Johnson. 

"  You  are  no  longer  my  prisoner,  sahibs,"  Saleh  said  when 
the  two  documents  were  handed  to  him,  and  he  on  his  part 
had  given  a  bond  to  perform  his  share  of  the  conditions. 
"  Now,  I  should  like  your  counsel  as  to  how  I  had  best  pro- 


340  TO  HERAT  AND  CABUL 

ceed.  I  believe  that  my  men  will  gladly  obey  me  in  this 
matter,  because  they  are  discontented  at  being1  sent  so  far 
away,  and  I  feel  sure  that  a  very  slight  inducement  on  your 
part  to  them  will  settle  the  matter.  If  I  could  offer  them 
in  your  name  a  gratuity  of  four  months'  pay  when  we 
arrive  at  Cabul,  it  would  settle  matters." 

To  this  the  officers  willingly  agreed. 

"  I  have  been  thinking  over  the  affair  all  night,"  he 
went  on.  "  Which,  think  you,  would  be  best — to  travel 
straight  for  Cabul  when  you  hear  that  the  British  have 
arrived  there,  or  to  wait  here?  I  hear  that  many  of  the 
petty  chiefs  in  the  neighbourhood  are  indignant  that  Akbar 
Khan  should  have  broken  all  the  promises  he  made,  and 
have  treated  so  badly  those  who  placed  themselves  under 
his  protection,  while  at  the  same  time  his  father,  together 
with  his  own  family,  are  receiving  most  honourable  treat- 
ment in  India.  Doubtless  you  would  rather  go  straight 
down  to  Cabul,  but  we  must  remember  that  if  defeated, 
Akbar  with  a  very  large  number  of  his  followers  may  again 
fly  by  this  route  and  make  for  Khooloom,  as  he  and  Dost 
Mahomed  did  when  the  British  first  marched  to  Cabul. 
Should  they  meet  us  on  our  way  down  they  would  assuredly 
attack  us,  and  their  numbers  might  be  so  great  that  we 
should  be  overwhelmed.  On  the  other  hand,  if  we  stay 
here  we  can  occupy  the  largest  of  these  little  forts  and  set 
to  work  to  strengthen  it,  and  might  then  resist  any  force 
Akbar  could  bring  against  us  until  'the  British  troops  arrive 
to  our  assistance." 

The  officers  were  silent  for  a  minute,  and  then  Pottinger 
said:  "What  do  you  think,  Brigadier?  This  is  a  military 
matter." 

"  I  should  say  the  last  proposition  is  the  safest,"  Shelton 
replied.  "  We  may  be  sure  that  the  moment  Pollock  reaches 
Cabul  he  will  send  off  a  body  of  cavalry  to  rescue  us.  Akba£ 


THE  BRITISH  CAPTIVES  341 

would  have  at  best  only  forty-eight  hours'  start,  perhaps  not 
half  that,  and  he  would  scarcely  venture  to  stop  here  to  under- 
take a  siege.  He  will  certainly  have  no  guns  with  him,  and 
the  three  hundred  men  of  our  escort,  with  ten  or  twelve  of 
us  to  lead  them,  could  he  trusted  to  withstand  any  hurried 
assault  he  might  make  upon  us." 

The  others  all  agreed  that  this  would  he  the  safest  plan. 

"Very  well,"  Saleh  said.  "I  will  go  now  and  harangue 
my  men,  and  in  the  meantime  you  can  prepare  to  move. 
I  will  select  the  largest  and  most  defensible  of  these  forts. 
We  will  move  quietly  in  there,  and  then  I  will  summon  the 
Bamian  chiefs,  and  proclaim  that  I  have  abandoned  the 
cause  of  Akbar,  and  now  with  my  British  allies  summon 
them  to  invite  their  men  to  join  me,  so  that  when  an 
English  force  arrives  here  they  will  be  free  from  all  moles- 
tation, and  will  receive  presents  in  accordance  with  the 
number  of  men  they  furnish." 

So  saying  he  left  the  room,  and  the  joy  of  the  captives 
broke  out  in  general  congratulations  among  the  men,  and 
tears  of  joy  from  the  women.  Pottinger,  Johnson,  and 
Boyd  gathered  round  Angtis  and  poured  forth  their  thanks 
to  him.  Nothing  had  hitherto  been  said  to  the  ladies  as  to 
the  real  character  of  the  supposed  trader,  for  it  was  felt 
that  if  this  enterprise  failed  the  disappointment  would  to 
them  be  terrible.  As  soon  as  they  learned  who  he  was  and 
what  he  had  done,  they  too  crowded  round,  and  Angus  was 
for  a  time  quite  confused  with  the  expressions  of  gratitude 
showered  upon  him. 

"  I  see,"  Pottinger  said,  when  the  din  of  voices  had  quieted 
down,  "  that  you  have  not  informed  Saleh  Mahomed  of  your 
real  character." 

"I  thought  it  better  not  to  do  so.  I  really  came  from 
Mohun  Lai,  and  if  he  thought  I  had  not  done  so,  he  might 
have  doubted  whether  I  had  any  authority  to  make  such  a 


342  TO  HERAT  AND  CABUL 

proposal;  therefore,  I  thought  it  would  be  well  to  keep  up 
my  present  character  to  the  end." 

"  Perhaps  it  is  hest  so,"  Pottinger  agreed.  "  These  Afghans 
are  always  suspicious,  and  a  man  who  has  several  times  be- 
trayed his  employers  would  be  more  suspicious  than  other 
people.  I  quite  agree  with  you  that  it  is  best  you  should 
keep  up  your  present  character.  I  suppose  Mohun  Lai  really 
did  give  you  the  assurance  about  the  ransom  ? " 

"Yes,  General  Pollock  told  me  that  he  would  give  any 
sum  Mohun  Lai  might  think  it  desirable  to  offer,  and  that 
was  the  figure  fixed  upon  as  being  high  enough  to  tempt 
Saleh,  and  yet  not  excessive  for  such  a  service.  Besides, 
he  thought  that  he  might  ask  more,  in  which  case  I  should 
of  course  have  bargained  with  him." 

"It  is  a  sum  that  would  tempt  any  Afghan  chief,"  Pot- 
tinger said,  "and  to  a  mere  military  adventurer  like  Saleh 
would  appear  prodigious.  Well,  we  will  hear  of  your  adven- 
tures afterwards.  He  may  return  at  any  moment,  and  it 
might  put  him  out  of  humour  if  he  found  that  we  were  not 
ready.  Not,  indeed,  that  there  is  much  to  do.  Even  the 
ladies  will  be  able  to  pack  up  their  scanty  belongings  in  a  few 
minutes.  There  would,  in  fact,  be  nothing  at  all  to  pack 
had  it  not  been  for  the  things  they  bought  of  you.  The  next 
room  is  all  in  confusion,  for  every  one  of  them  is  hard  at 
work  making  clothes  for  the  children." 

It  was  half  an  hour  before  Saleh  Mahomed  returned. 

"All  is  well,"  he  said;  "the  men  did  not  hesitate  for  a 
moment.  They  are  delighted  at  the  prospect  of  returning 
to  Cabul,  and  declare  they  will  fight  till  the  last  if  they  are 
attacked.  I  set  them  to  work  at  once  to  clear  out  the  largest 
of  the  forts  here.  The  chief,  when  I  told  him  what  it  was 
required  for,  refused  his  consent,  so  I  at  once  turned  him  out, 
and  have  appointed  another  favourable  to  us  in  his  place. 
We  will  move  there  at  once." 


THE  BEITISH  CAPTIVES  343 

The  news  infused  fresh  strength  into  the  ladies,  several  of 
whom  were  suffering  from  sickness,  and  all  from  long-con- 
tinued anxiety  and  the  hardships  of  the  journey;  they  were 
able  to  proceed  on  foot  to  the  fort.  Hassan  was  the  first  to 
come  in  with  ten  followers  to  give  in  his  adherence  to  the 
new  order  of  things.  Many  others  followed  the  example; 
and  as  Angus  was  able  to  supply  money,  strong  parties  were 
soon  at  work  throwing  up  entrenchments  round  the  tower. 
Pottinger,  convinced  that  audacity  was  the  best  policy,  at 
once  issued  a  proclamation  calling  upon  the  people  of  the 
town  and  the  chiefs  of  all  the  surrounding  villages  to  come 
in  at  once  and  pay  their  respects,  and  it  was  not  long  before 
they  began  to  arrive. 

The  next  day  still  larger  numbers  were  set  to  work,  and 
by  evening  the  earthworks  were  so  advanced  that  they  were 
in  a  position  to  offer  a  very  strong  resistance.  Late  that 
evening  a  friendly  chief  brought  in  the  news  that  General 
Pollock  was  within  a  day's  march  of  Cabul,  that  all  resist- 
ance had  ceased,  and  that  Akbar  had  fled  no  one  knew 
whither. 

It  was  immediately  decided  that  a  start  should  be  made 
for  Cabul  on  the  following  morning1.  It  was  evident  that 
Akbar  had  not  retired  by  that  route — had  he  done  so  he 
would  have  arrived  before  the  news  of  his  flight — and  that 
therefore  the  risk  of  meeting  any  strong  force  on  the  road 
was  very  slight.  They  set  out  at  eight  o'clock  in  the  morn- 
ing. Horses  had  been  procured  for  the  whole  party;  the 
officers  took  the  children  before  them,  the  ladies  rode.  That 
night  all  slept  on  the  rocks  within  shelter,  but  at  midnight 
they  were  awakened  by  the  arrival  of  a  horseman.  He 
brought  a  letter  from  Sir  Richmond  Shakespere,  General 
Pollock's  military  secretary,  saying  that  he  was  on  the  point 
of  starting  with  six  hundred  native  horse  for  Bamian. 

At  daybreak  the  party-  were  astir  again,  pressing  their 


344  TO  HERAT  AND  CA.BUL 

horses  eagerly,  their  sufferings  all  forgotten  in  the  hope  of 
speedily  meeting  their  friends.  At  noon  a  cloud  of  dust  wad 
seen  to  rise  from  the  road  far  ahead;  then  some  straggling 
horsemen  were  made  out,  and  behind  them  a  body  of  cavalry. 
It  was  still  possible  that  this  might  be  a  body  of  the  enemy, 
and  preparations  were  at  once  made  for  defence.  The  drums 
were  beat,  a  line  formed,  and  muskets  loaded.  Soon,  how- 
ever, it  could  be  made  out  that  an  officer  riding  at  the  head 
of  the  party  was  in  British  uniform,  and  in  a  few  minutes 
Shakespere  rode  up,  followed  by  his  men.  The  joy  of  the 
meeting  was  almost  beyond  words.  A  few  days  before  a  hope- 
less captivity  among  wild  tribesmen  seemed  to  be  their  cer- 
tain lot;  now  they  were  among  friends  again.  They  learned 
from  Sir  Richmond  that  General  Sale  himself  was  to  set 
out  at  the  head  of  a  brigade  to  support  the  advanced  party. 

The  next  morning  they  started  again,  and  on  the  20th  met 
Sale's  column.  That  evening  they  passed  near  the  camp  of 
the  Candahar  force,  and  the  next  day  rode  through  Cabul 
on  their  way  to  Pollock's  camp,  where  their  arrival  excited 
unbounded  delight,  for  it  had  generally  been  felt  that  the 
victories  that  they  had  won  would  be  incomplete  indeed  un- 
less their  fellow  countrymen  and  women  had  been  rescued. 
General  Pollock  thanked  Angus  publicly  that  evening  for 
the  service  that  he  had  rendered,  and  the  manner  in  which 
he  had  carried  out  the  perilous  scheme  he  had  volunteered 
to  perform,  and  he  received  innumerable  congratulations 
from  all  the  officers  with  whom  he  had  shared  in  the  defence 
of  Jellalabad. 

The  army  remained  but  a  few  days  at  Cabul,  for  the  winter 
was  at  hand.  It  was  at  first  proposed  to  destroy  the  Bala 
Hissar,  but  the  idea  was  given  up,  as  it  was  represented  that 
no  ruler  of  Afghanistan  would  be  able  to  maintain  his  posi- 
tion unless  he  had  that  fortress  to  rely  upon.  Instead  of 
this  the  great  bazaar,  through  which  Macnaghten's  body  had 


THE  BRITISH  CAPTIVES  345 

been  carried  in  triumph,  was  destroyed,  and  in  spite  of  the 
efforts  of  their  officers  many  of  the  troops  entered  the  city 
and  punished  the  treachery  of  its  inhabitants  by  sacking  a 
considerable  portion  of  it.  The  united  army  then  marched 
down  the  passes  and  retired  to  India.  Pollock's  division 
met  with  no  resistance  whatever;  that  of  Nott,  which  fol- 
lowed it,  was  more  than  once  attacked  by  large  bands  of 
plunderers. 

The  report  that  General  Pollock  had  sent  in  to  the  Gover- 
nor-general on  the  day  the  captives  reached  the  camp  gave 
full  credit  to  Angus  for  the  courage  and  devotion  that  he 
had  shown,  and  stated  that  had  he  not  succeeded  in  bringing 
Saleh  Mahomed  over  to  our  side,  the  latter  would  probably 
have  reached  Khooloom  with  the  captives  before  they  could 
have  been  overtaken,  and  in  that  case  they  might  have  been 
sent  far  away  on  the  approach  of  Sale's  brigade  and  been 
lost  for  ever  to  their  friends.  The  consequence  was  that  he 
was  at  once  appointed  political  officer  to  one  of  the  Rajput 
states. 

Henceforth  his  promotion  was  rapid.  Six  years  later  he 
went  to  England  on  three  years'  leave.  On  the  ship  on  which 
he  sailed  were  four  officers  of  his  acquaintance,  some  of 
whom  were  accompanied  by  their  wives.  From  several  of 
these  he  received  the  most  pressing  invitations  to  stay  with 
them  at  their  country  houses.  These  he  gladly  accepted,  for 
except  among  military  men  who  had  returned  home,  he  was 
without  friends.  Feeling  at  a  loss  for  employment  after  a 
life  of  such  activity  as  he  had  led,  he  threw  up  his  leave  at 
the  end  of  the  year,  and  took  back  with  him  to  India  a  wife, 
the  daughter  of  a  colonel  who  had  sailed  with  him  from 
India. 

At  the  end  of  another  ten  years  he  returned  home  for  good. 
His  pay  had  been  large.  He  had  laid  by  a  considerable  sum 
before  he  first  went  home,  and  this  he  had  placed  in  the  handa 


346  TO  HEKAT  AND  CABUL 

of  the  firm  to  whom  he  had  sent  his  money  before  leaving 
Teheran  for  Herat.  It  had  been  well  employed  by  them, 
and  at  the  age  of  forty  he  returned  home  with  a  considerable 
fortune,  besides  a  pension,  after  twenty-three  years  of  serv- 
ice. He  had  been  reluctant  to  quit  his  work,  but  his  wife's 
health  had  suffered  from  the  climate.  His  three  children 
had  been  sent  home  to  her  family,  and  he  now  bought  a  place 
near  her  people.  At  first  he  felt  altogether  out  of  his  ele- 
ment, but  he  gradually  fell  into  the  ways  of  country  life, 
and  no  longer  regretted  that  his  work  in  India  had  come 
to  an  end. 

THE  END. 


"  Wherever  English  is  spoken  one  imagines  that  Mr.  Henty's 
name  is  known.  One  cannot  enter  a  schoolroom  or  look  at  a 
boy's  bookshelf  without  seeing  half-a-dozen  of  his  familiar 
volumes.  Mr.  Henty  is  no  doubt  the  most  successful  writer 
for  boys,  and  the  one  to  whose  new  volumes  they  look  forward 
every  Christmas  with  most  pleasure." — Review  of  Reviews. 


A   LIST   OF   BOOKS 
FOR  YOUNG   PEOPLE 

•  .  •  By  •  •  . 

G.  A.  HENTY  GORDON  STABLES 

G.  M.  FENN  ROBERT  LEIGHTON 

S,  BARING-GOULD  HARRY    COLLINGWOOD 

KIRK   MUNROE  ROSA    MULHOLLAND 

F.    FRANKFORT     MOORE  ALICE  CORKRAN,  ETC. 

Published  by 

CHARLES    SCRIBNER'S    SONS 

J53  to  J57  Fifth  Avenue          jt  <*          New  York 


G.  A.  HENTY'S  NEW  STORIES  FOR  1901-1902 


"His   books   have   at  once  the  solidity  of  history  and  the  charm  of 
romance.'  —Journal  of  Education. 


WITH  ROBERTS  TO  PRETORIA 

A  Story   of  the   Boer   War.     By  G.   A.    HENTY.     With   12 
Illustrations.     Si. 25  net. 

The  Boer  War  gives  Mr.  Henty  an  unexcelled  opportunity  for  » 
thrilling  story  of  present-day  interest  which  the  author  could  not  fail  to 
take  advantage  of.  Every  boy  reader  will  find  this  account  of  the  ad- 
ventures of  the  young  hero  most  exciting,  and,  at  the  same  time,  a 
wonderfully  accurate  description  of  Lord  Roberts's  campaign  to  Pretoria. 
Boys  have  found  history  in  the  dress  Mr.  Henty  gives  it  anything  but 
dull,  and  the  present  book  is  no  exception  to  the  rule. 

AT  THE  POINT  OF  THE  BAYONET 

A  Story  of  the  British  Conquest  of  India.     By  G.  A.  HENTY. 
Illustrated.     12mo,  $1.25  net. 

One  hundred  years  ago  the  rule  of  the  British  in  India  was  only  partly 
established.  The  powerful  Mahrattas  were  unsubdued,  and  with  their 
skill  in  intrigue,  and  great  military  power,  they  were  exceedingly  danger- 
ous. The  story  of  ''At  the  Point  of  the  Bayonet"  begins  with 
the  attempt  to  conquer  this  powerful  people.  Harry  Lindsay,  an 
infant  when  his  father  and  mother  were  killed,  was  saved  by  bis 
Mahratta  ayah,  who  carried  him  to  her  own  people,  and  brought  him  up 
as  a  native.  She  taught  him  as  best  she  could,  and.  having  told  him  his 
parentage,  sent  him  to  Bombay  to  be  educated.  At  sixteen  he  obtained 
a  commission  in  the  English  Army,  and  his  knowledge  of  the  Mahratta 
tongue  combined  with  his  ability  and  bravery  enabled  him  to  render 
great  service  in  the  Mahratta  War,  and  carried  hitnt  through  many 
frightful  perils  by  land  and  sea,  to  high  rank. 

TO  HERAT  AND  CABUL 

A  Story  of  the  First  Afghan  War.     By  G.  A.  HENTY.     With 
Illustrations.     12mo.  $1.25  net. 

The  greatest  defeat  ever  experienced  by  the  British  Army  was  that  in 
the  Mountain  Passes  of  Afghanistan.  Angus  Cameron,  the  hero  of  this 
book,  having  been  captured  by  the  friendly  Afghans,  was  compelled 
to  be  a  witness  of  the  calamity.  His  whole  story  is  an  intensely  interest- 
ing one,  from  his  boyhood  in  Persia  ;  his  employment  under  the  Govern- 
ment at  Herat ;  through  the  defense  of  that  town  against  the  Persians  ; 
toCabul,  where  he  shared  in  all  the  events  which  ended  in  the  awful  march 
through  the  Passes,  from  which  but  one  man  escaped.  Angus  is  always 
at  the  point  of  danger,  and  whether  in  battle  or  in  hazardous  expeditions 
shows  how  much  a  brave  youth,  full  of  resources,  can  do,  even  with  *o 
treacherous  a  foe.  His  dangers  and  adventures  are  thrilling,  and  his 
escapes  marvellous. 


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NEW  VOLUMES  FOR   1900-1901. 


Mr.  Ilenty.  the  most  popular  writer  of  Books  of  Adventure  in  England,  adds 
three  new  volumes  to  his  list  this  fall— books  that  will  delight  thousands  of 
boys  on  this  side  who  have  become  his  ardent  admirers. 


WITH  BULLER  IN  NATAL 

Or,  A  Born  Leader.     By  (I.  A.  HENTY.     With  10  Illustrations 
by  W.  RAINEY     12mo,  $1.50. 

The  breaking  out  of  the  Boer  War  compelled  Chris  King,  the  hero 
of  the  story,  to  flee  with  his  mother  from  Johannesburg  to  the  sea 
coast.  They  were  with  many  other  Uitlanders,  and  all  suffered  much 
from  the  Boers.  Reaching  a  place  of  safety  for  their  families,  Chris 
and  twenty  of  his  friends  formed  an  independent  company  of  scouts. 
In  this  service  they  were  with  Gen.  Yule  at  Glencoe,  then  in  Lady- 
smith,  then  with  Buller.  In  each  place  they  had  many  thrilling  ad- 
ventures. They  were  in  great  battles,  and  in  lonely  fights  on  the 
Veldt;  were  taken  prisoners  and  escaped;  and  they  rendered  most 
valuable  service  to  the  English  forces.  The  story  is  a  most  interesting 
picture  of  the  War  in  South  Africa. 

OUT  WITH  GARIBALDI 

A  Story  of  the  Liberation  of  Italy.     By  G.  A.  HENTY.     Witch 
8  Illustrations  by  W.  RAINEY,  R.  I.     12mo,  $1.50. 

Garibaldi  himself  is  the  central  figure  of  this  brilliant  story,  and  the 
little-known  history  of  the  struggle  for  Italian  freedom  is  told  here  in 
the  most  thrilling  way.  From  the  time  the  hero,  a  young  lad,  son  of 
an  English  father  and  an  Italian  mother,  joins  Garibaldi's  band  of 
1,000  men  in  the  first  descent  upon  Sicily,  which  was  garrisoned  by  one 
of  the  large  Neapolitan  armies,  until  the  end,  when  all  those  armies 
are  beaten,  and  the  two  Sicilys  are  conquered,  we  follow  with  the 
keenest  interest  the  exciting  adventures  of  the  lad  in  scouting,  in 
battle,  and  in  freeing  those  in  prison  for  liberty's  sake. 

IN  THE  IRISH  BRIGADE 

By  G.  A.  HENTY.    12mo,  $1.50. 

Desmond  Kennedy  is  a  young  Irish  lad  who  left  Ireland  to  join  the 
Irish  Brigade  in  the  service  of  Louis  XIV.  of  France.  In  Paris  he  in- 
curred the  deadly  hatred  of  a  powerful  courtier  from  whom  he  had 
rescued  a  young  girl  who  had  been  kidnapped,  and  his  perils  are  of  ab- 
sorbing interest.  Captured  in  an  attempted  Jacobite  invasion  of  Scot- 
land, he  escaped  in  a  most  extraordinary  manner.  As  aide-de-camp 
to  the  Duke  of  Berwick  he  experienced  thrilling  adventures  in  Flan- 
ders. Transferred  to  the  Army  in  Spain,  he  was  nearly  assassinated,  hut 
escaped  to  return,  when  peace  was  declared,  to  his  native  land,  having 
received  pardon  and  having  recovered  his  estates.  The  story  is  filled 
with  adventure,  and  the  interest  never  abates. 


HOOKS  FOR  YOJTNQ  PEOPLE 


BY  G.  A.  HENTY. 

"Surely  Mr.  Henty  should  understand  boys'  tastes  better  than  any  man 
liring."—  The  Times. 


WON  BY  THE  SWORD 

A  Tale  of  the  Thirty  Years'  War.  With  12  Illustrations  by 
CHARLES  M.  SHELDON,  and  4  Plans.  12mo,  $1.50. 

The  scene  of  this  story  is  laid  in  France,  during  the  time  of  Richelieu, 
of  Mazarin  and  Anne  of  Austria.  The  hero,  Hector  Campbell,  is  the 
orphaned  son  of  a  Scotch  officer  in  the  French  Army.  How  he  at- 
tracted the  notice  of  Marshal  Turenne  and  of  the  Prince  of  Conde  . 
how  he  rose  to  the  rank  of  Colonel ;  how  he  finally  had  to  leave  France, 
pursued  by  the  deadly  hatred  of  the  Due  de  Beaufort — all  these  and 
much  more  the  story  tella  with  the  most  absorbing  interest. 

NO  SURRENDER 

The  Story  of  the  Revolt  in  La  VendSe.  With  8  Illustrations 
by  STANLEY  L.  WOOD.  12mo,  $1.50. 

The  revolt  of  La  Vendee  against  the  French  Republic  at  the  time  of 
the  Revolution  forms  the  groundwork  of  this  absorbing  story.  Leigh 
Stansfield,  a  young  English  lad,  is  drawn  into  the  thickest  of  the  con- 
flict. Forming  a  company  of  boys  as  scouts  for  the  Vende"an  Army, 
he  greatly  aids  the  peasants.  He  rescues  his  sister  from  the  guillotine, 
and  finally,  after  many  thrilling  experiences,  when  the  cause  of  La 
Vende'e  is  lost,  he  escapes  to  England. 

A  ROVING  COMMISSION 

Or,  Through  the  Black  Insurrection  at  Hayti.  With  12  Illus- 
trations by  WILLIAM  RAINEY.  12ino,  $1.50. 

This  is  one  of  the  most  brilliant  of  Mr.  Henty's  books.  A  story  of 
the  sea,  with  all  its  life  and  action,  it  is  also  full  of  thrilling  adven- 
tures on  land.  So  it  holds  the  keenest  interest  until  the  end.  The 
scene  is  a  new  one  to  Mr.  Henty's  readers,  being  laid  at  the  time  of  tlic 
Great  Revolt  of  the  Blacks,  by  which  Hayti  became  independent. 
Toussaint  1'Overture  appears,  and  an  admirable  picture  is  given  of  him 
and  of  his  power. 

AT  ABOUKIR  AND  ACRE 

A  Story  of  Napoleon's  Invasion  of  Egypt.  With  8  full-page 
Illustrations  by  WILLIAM  RAINEY,  and  3  Plans.  12mo, 
$1.50. 

The  hero,  having  saved  the  life  of  the  son  of  an  Arab  chief,  is  taken 
into  the  tribe,  has  a  part  in  the  battle  of  the  Pyramids  and  the  revolt 
at  Cairo.  He  is  an  eye-witness  of  the  famous  naval  battle  of  Aboukir, 
and  later  is  in  the  hardest  of  the  defense  of  Acre. 


BOOKS  FOR  YOUNG  PEOPLE 


BYG.  A,  HENTY 

"  Mr.  Henty  is  the  king  of  story-tellers  for  boys."— Sword  and  Trowel. 


UNDER  WELLINGTON'S  COMMAND 

A  Tale  of  the  Peninsular  War.  With  12  Illustrations  by  WAL 
PAGET.  12mo,  $1.50. 

The  dashing  hero  of  this  book.  Terence  O'Connor,  was  the  hero  of 
Mr.  Henty's  previous  book,  "  With  Moore  at  Corunna,"  to  which  this 
is  really  a  sequel.  He  is  still  at  the  head  of  the  "  Minho  "  Portuguese 
regiment.  Being  detached  on  independent  and  guerilla  duty  with  his 
regiment,  he  renders  invaluable  service  in  gaining  information  and  in 
harassing  the  French.  His  command,  being  constantly  on  the  edge  of 
the  army,  is  engaged  in  frequent  skirmishes  and  some  most  important 
battles. 

BOTH  SIDES  THE  BORDER 

A  Tale  of  Hotspur  and  Glendower.  With  12  full-page  Illus- 
trations by  RALPH  PEACOCK.  12mo,  $1.50. 

This  is  a  brilliant  story  of  the  stirring  times  of  the  beginning  of  the 
Wars  of  the  Roses,  when  the  Scotch,  under  Douglas,  and  the  Welsh, 
under  Owen  Glendower,  were  attacking  the  English.  The  hero  of  the 
book  lived  near  the  Scotch  border,  and  saw  many  a  hard  fight  there. 
Entering  the  service  of  Lord  Percy,  he  was  sent  to  Wales,  where  he 
was  knighted,  and  where  he  was  captured.  Being  released,  he  returned 
home,  and  shared  in  the  fatal  battle  of  Shrewsbury. 

ST.  BARTHOLOMEW'S  EVE 

A  Tale  of  the  Huguenot  Wars.  By  G.  A.  HENTY.  With  12 
full-page  Illustrations  by  H.  J.  DRAPER,  and  a  Map. 
Crown  8vo,  olivine  edges,  $1.50. 

The  hero,  Philip  Fletcher,  has  a  French  connection  on  his  mother's 
side.  This  induces  him  to  cross  the  Channel  in  order  to  take  a  share 
in  the  Huguenot  wars.  Naturally  he  sides  with  the  Protestants,  dis- 
tinguishes himself  in  various  battles,  and  receives  rapid  promotion  for 
the  zeal  pnd  daring  with  which  he  carries  out  several  secret  missions. 

REDSKIN  AND  COW-BOY 

A  Tale  of  the  Western  Plains.  By  G.  A.  HENTY.  With  12 
full-page  Illustrations  by  ALFRED  PEARSE.  Crown  8vo, 
olivine  edges,  $1.50. 

The  central  interest  of  this  story  is  found  in  the  many  adventures  of 
an  English  lad,  who  seeks  employment  as  a  cow-boy  on  a  cattle  ranch. 
His  experiences  during  a  "  round-up  "  present  in  picturesque  form  the 
toilsome,  exciting,  adventurous  life  of  a  cow-boy  ;  while  the  perils  of  a 
frontier  settlement  are  vividly  set  forth  in  an  Indian  raid. 


BOOKS  FOR   rOPNQ  rBOPLtt 


BY  Q,  A.  HENTY 

••  No  country  nor  epoch  of  history  Is  there  which  Mr.  Ilenty  does  not  know, 
•ad  what  is  really  remarkable  is  that  he  always  writes  well  and  interestingly." 

—New  York  Times. 


WITH  FREDERICK  THE  GREAT 

A  Tale  of  the  Seven  Years'  War.    With  12  full -page  Illustra- 
tions.   12mo,  $1.50. 

The  hero  of  this  story  while  still  a  youth  entered  the  service  of  Fred- 
erick the  Great,  and  by  a  succession  of  fortunate  circumstances  and 
perilous  adventures,  rose  to  the  rank  of  colonel.  Attached  to  the  staff 
of  the  king,  he  rendered  distinguished  services  in  many  battles,  in  one 
of  which  he  saved  the  king's  life.  Twice  captured  and  imprisoned,  he 
both  times  escaped  from  the  Austrian  fortresses. 

A  MARCH  ON  LONDON 

A  Story  of  Wat  Tyler's  Rising.  With  8  full-page  Illustra- 
tions by  W.  H.  MARGETSON.  12mo,  $1.50. 

The  story  of  Wat  Tyler's  Rebellion  is  but  little  known,  but  the  hero 
of  this  story  passes  through  that  perilous  time  and  takes  part  in  the 
civil  war  in  Flanders  which  followed  soon  after.  Although  young  he  is 
thrown  into  many  exciting  and  dangerous  adventures,  through  which 
he  passes  with  great  coolness  and  much  credit. 

WITH  MOORE  AT  CORUNNA 

A  Story  of  the  Peninsular  War.  With  12  full-page  Illustra- 
tions by  WAL  PAGET.  12mo,  $1.50. 

Terence  O'Connor  is  living  with  his  widowed  father,  Captain  O'Connor 
of  the  Mayo  Fusiliers,  with  the  regiment  at  the  time  when  the  Penin- 
sular war  began.  Upon  the  regiment  being  ordered  to  Spain,  Terence 
gets  appointed  as  aid  to  one  of  the  generals  of  a  division.  By  his  brav- 
ery and  great  usefulness  throughout  the  war,  he  is  rewarded  by  a  com- 
mission as  colonel  in  the  Portuguese  army  and  there  rendered  great 
service. 

ON  THE  IRRAWADDY 

A  Story  of  the  First  Burmese  War.  With  8  full-page  Illus- 
trations by  W.  H.  OVEREND.  Crown  8vo,  olivine  edges, 
$1.50. 

The  hero,  having  an  uncle,  a  trader  on  the  Indian  and  Burmese  rivers, 
goes  out  to  join  him.  Soon  after,  war  is  declared  by  Burmah  against 
England  and  he  is  drawn  into  it.  He  has  many  experiences  and  narrow 
escapes  in  battles  and  in  scouting.  With  half-a-dozen  men  he  rescues 
his  cousin  who  had  been  taken  prisoner,  and  in  the  flight  they  are  be- 
sieged in  an  old,  ruined  temple. 


BOOKS  FOR  rOVNC!  PEOPLTS 


BY  G.  A.  HENTY 

"Boys  like  stirring  adventures,  and  Mr.  Henty  Is  a  master  of  this  method 
oJ  composition."— New  YorK  Times. 


AT  AGINCOURT 

A  Tale  of  the  "White  Hoods  of  Paris.  With  12  full-page 
Illustrations  by  WALTEB  PAQET.  Crown  8vo,  olivine 
edges,  $1.50. 

The  story  begins  in  a  grim  feudal  castle  in  Normandie.  The  times 
were  troublous,  and  soon  the  king  compelled  Lady  Margaret  de  Villeroy 
with  her  children  to  go  to  Paris  as  hostages.  Guy  Aylmer  went  with 
her.  Paris  was  turbulent.  Soon  the  guild,  of  the  butchers,  adopting 
white  hoods  as  their  uniform,  seized  the  city,  and  besieged  the  house 
where  our  hero  and  his  charges  lived.  After  desperate  fighting,  the 
white  hoods  were  beaten  and  our  hero  and  his  charges  escaped  from  the 
city,  and  from  France. 

WITH  COCHRANE  THE  DAUNTLESS 

A  Tale  of  the  Exploits  of  Lord  Cochrane  in  South  American 
Waters.  With  12  full -page  Illustrations  by  W.  H. 
MARGETSON.  Crown  8vo,  olivine  edges,  $1.50. 

The  hero  of  this  story  accompanies  Cochrane  as  midshipman,  and 
serves  in  the  war  between  Chili  and  Peru.  He  has  many  exciting 
adventures  in  battles  by  sea  and  land,  is  taken  prisoner  and  condemned 
to  death  by  the  Inquisition,  but  escapes  by  a  long  and  thrilling  flight 
across  South  America  and  down  the  Amazon,  piloted  by  two  faithful 
Indians. 

THE  TIGER  OF  MYSORE 

A  Story  of  the  War  with  Tippoo  Saib.  With  12  full-page 
Illustrations  by  W.  H.  MARGETSON,  and  a  Map.  Crown 
8vo,  olivine  edges,  $1.50. 

Dick  Holland,  whose  father  is  supposed  to  be  a  captive  of  Tippoo  Saib, 
goes  to  India  to  help  him  to  escape.  He  joins  the  army  under  Lord 
Cornwallis,  and  takes  part  in  the  campaign  against  Tippoo.  Afterwards 
he  assumes  a  disguise,  enters  Seringapatam,  and  at  last  he  discovers  his 
father  in  the  great  stronghold  of  Savandroog.  The  hazardous  rescue  is 
at  length  accomplished,  and  the  young  fellow's  dangerous  mission  is 
done. 

THROUGH  RUSSIAN  SNOWS 

A  Story  of  Napoleon's  Betreat  from  Moscow.  With  8  full- 
page  Illustrations  by  W.  H.  OVEKEND,  and  3  Maps.  Crown 
8vo,  olivine  edges,  $1.50. 

The  hero,  Julian  Wyatt,  after  several  adventures  with  smugglers,  by 
whom  he  is  handed  over  a  prisoner  to  the  French,  regains  his  freedom 
and  joins  Napoleon's  army  in  the  Russian  campaign.  When  the  terrible 
retreat  begins,  Julian  finds  himself  in  the  rear  guard  of  the  French  army, 
fighting  desperately.  Ultimately  he  escapes  out  of  the  general  disaster, 
and  returns  to  England. 


BOOKS  FOX  TOVITQ 


BY  C.  A.  HENTY 

"Here  we  have  Mr.  George  Henty— the  Boys'  Own  Author."— Punch* 


A  KNIGHT  OF  THE  WHITE  CROSS 

A  Tale  of  the  Siege  of  Ehodes.  With  12  full-page  Illustra- 
tions by  RALPH  PEACOCK,  and  a  Plan.  Crown  8vo,  olivine 
edges,  81.50. 

Gervaise  Tresham,  the  hero  of  this  story,  joins  the  Order  of  the 
Knights  of  St.  John,  and  proceeds  to  the  stronghold  of  Rhodes.  Sub- 
sequently he  is  appointed  commander  of  a  war-galley,  and  in  his  first 
voyage  destroys  a  fleet  of  Moorish  corsairs.  During  one  of  his  cruises 
the  young  knight  is  attacked  on  shore,  captured  after  a  desperate 
struggle,  and  sold  into  slavery  in  Tripoli.  He  succeeds  iu  escaping,  and 
returns  to  Rhodes  in  time  to  take  part  in  the  defense  of  that  fortress. 

WULF  THE  SAXON 

A  Story  of  the  Norman  Conquest.  By  G.  A.  HENTY.  With 
12  full-page  Illustrations  by  RALPH  PEACOCK.  Crown 
8vo,  olivine  edges,  $1.50. 

The  hero  is  a  young  thane  who  wins  the  favor  of  Earl  Harold  and  be- 
comes one  of  his  retinue.  VVh^n  Harold  becomes  King  of  England  Wulf 
assists  in  the  Welsh  wars,  and  takes  part  against  the  Norsemen  at  the 
Battle  of  Stamford  Bridge  When  William  of  Normandy  invades  Eng- 
land, Waif  is  with  the  English  host  at  Hastings,  and  stands  by  his  king 
to  the  last  in  the  mighty  struggle. 

BERJC  THE  BRITON 

A  Story  of  the  Roman  Invasion.  By  G.  A.  HENTY.  With 
12  full-page  Illustrations  by  W.  PARKINSON.  Crown  8vo, 
olivine  edges,  $1.50, 

This  story  deals  with  the  invasion  of  Britain  by  the  Roman  legionaries. 
Beric,  who  is  a  boy-chief  of  a  British  tribe,  takes  a  prominent  part  in 
the  insurrection  under  Boadicea;  and  after  the  defeat  of  that  heroic 
queen  (in  A.  D.  62)  he  continues  the  struggle  in  the  fen-country.  Ulti- 
mately Beric  is  defeated  and  carried  captive  to  Rome,  wh°re  he  is  trained 
in  the  exercise  of  arms  in  a  school  of  gladiators.  At  length  he  returns 
to  Britain,  where  he  becomes  ruler  of  his  own  people. 

WHEN  LONDON  BURNED 

A  Story  of  the  Plague  and  the  Fire.  By  G.  A.  HENTY.  With 
12  full-page  Illustrations  by  J.  FINNEMORE.  Crown  8vo, 
olivine  edges,  $1.50. 

The  hero  of  this  story  was  the  son  of  a  nobleman  who  had  lost  his 
estates  during  the  troublous  times  of  the  Commonwealth.  Durinsj  the 
Great  Plague  and  the  Great  Fiie,  Cyril  was  prominent  among  those  whf 
brought  help  to  the  panic-stricken  inhabitants. 


BOOKS  fOH    YOUXQ   P&OPL& 


BY  G.  A. HENTY 

•  Ask  for  Henty,  and  see  that  yon  get  him."— Punch. 


A  Tale  of  the  Nile  Expedition.  By  G.  A.  HENTY.  With  10 
full-page  Illustrations  by  JOHN  SCHONBERG  and  J.  NASH. 
Crown  8vo,  olivine  edges,  $1.50. 

In  the  record  of  recent  British  history  there  is  no  more  captivating  pa?e 
for  boys  than  the  story  of  the  Nile  campaign,  and  the  attempt  to  rescue 
General  Gordon.  For,  in  the  difficulties  which  the  expedition  encount- 
ered, in  the  perils  which  it  overpassed,  and  in  its  final  tragic  disappoint- 
ments, are  found  all  the  excitements  of  romance,  as  well  as  the  fascination 
which  belongs  to  real  events. 

BONNIE  PRINCE  CHARLIE 

A  Tale  of  Fontenoy  and  Culloden.  By  G.  A.  HENTY.  With 
12  full-page  Illustrations  by  GORDON  BROWNE.  Crown 
8vo,  olivine  edges,  $1.50. 

The  adventures  of  the  son  of  a  Scotch  officer  in  French  service.  The 
boy,  brought  up  by  a  Glasgow  bailie,  is  arrested  for  aiding  a  Jacobite 
agent,  escapes,  is  wrecked  on  the  French  coast,  reaches  Paris,  and  serves 
with  the  French  army  at  Dettingen.  He  kills  his  father's  foe  in  a  duel, 
and  escaping  to  the  coast,  shares  the  adventures  of  Prince  Charlie,  but 
finally  settles  happily  in  Scotland. 

UNDER  DRAKE'S  FLAG 

A  Tale  of  the  Spanish  Main.  By  G.  A.  HENTY.  With  12 
full-page  Illustrations  by  GORDON  BROWNE.  Crown  8vo, 
olivine  edges,  $1.50. 

A  story  of  the  days  when  England  and  Spain  struggled  for  the  suprem- 
acy of  the  sea.  The  heroes  sail  as  lads  with  Drake  in  the  Pacific  expe- 
dition, and  in  his  great  voyage  of  circumnavigation.  The  historical 
portion  of  the  story  is  absolutely  to  be  relied  upon,  but  this  will  perhaps 
be  less  attractive  than  the  great  variety  of  exciting  adventure  through 
which  the  young  heroes  pass  in  the  course  of  their  voyages. 

WITH  WOLFE  IN  CANADA 

Or,  The  Winning  of  a  Continent.  By  G.  A.  HENTY.  With  12 
full-page  Illustrations  by  GORDON  BROWNE.  Crown  8vo, 
olivine  edges,  $1.50. 

Mr.  Henty  here  gives  an  account  of  the  struggle  between  Britain  and 
France  for  supremacy  in  the  North  American  continent.  The  fall  of 
Quebec  decided  that  the  An<jlo-Saxon  race  should  predominate  in  the 
New  World ;  and  that  English  and  American  commerce,  the  English 
language,  and  English  literature,  should  spread  right  round  the  globe. 


BOOKS  FOR  YOUNG  PEOPLE 


BY  G.  A   HENTY 

"Mr.  Henty  is  one  of  the  best  of  story-tellers  for  yonng  people."—  Spectator. 


BY  PIKE  AND  DYKE 

A  Tale  of  the  Rise  of  the  Dutch  Republic.    By  G.  A.  HENTY. 

With  10  full-page  Illustrations  by  MAYNARD  BROWN,  and 

4  Maps.  Crown  8vo,  olivine  edges,  $1.50. 
This  story  traces  the  adventures  of  an  English  boy  in  the  household 
of  William  the  Silent.  Edward  Martin,  the  son  of  an  English  sea- 
captain,  enters  the  service  of  the  Prince  as  a  volunter,  and  is  employed 
by  him  in  many  dangerous  and  responsible  missions,  in  the  discharge 
of  which  he  passes  through  the  great  sieges  of  the  time. 

BY  ENGLAND'S  AID 

Or,  The  Freeing  of  the  Netherlands  (1585-1604).    By  G.  A. 
HENTY.     With    10  full-page    Illustrations    by   ALFRED 
PEARSE,  and  4  Maps.     Crown  8vo,  olivine  edges,  $1.50. 
The  story  of  two  English  lads  who  go  to  Holland  as  pages  in  the  service 
of  one  of  "  the  fighting  Veres."    After  many  adventures  by  sea  and 
land,  one  of  the  lads  finds  himself  on  board  a  Spanish  ship  at  the  time 
of  the  defeat  of  the  Armada,  and  escapes,  only  to  fall  into  the  hands  of 
the  Corsairs.    He  is  successful  in  getting  back  to  Spain,  and  regains 
his  native  country  after  the  capture  of  Cadiz. 

IN  THE  HEART  OF  THE  ROCKIES 

A  Story  of  Adventure  in  Colorado.  By  G.  A.  HENTY.  With 
8  full-page  Illustrations  by  G.  C.  HINDLEY.  Crown  8vo, 
olivine  edges,  $1.50. 

The  hero,  Tom  Wade,  goes  to  seek  his  uncle  in  Colorado,  who  is  a 
hunter  and  gold-digger,  and  he  is  discovered,  after  many  dangers,  out 
on  the  plains  with  some  comrades.  Going  in  quest  of  a  gold  mine,  the 
litttle  band  is  spied  by  Indians,  chased  across  the  Bad  Lands,  and 
overwhelmed  by  a  snowstorm  in  the  mountains. 

BY  RIGHT  OF  CONQUEST 

Or,  With  Cortez  in  Mexico.  By  G.  A.  HENTY.  With  10  full- 
page  Illustrations  by  W.  S.  STACEY,  and  2  Maps.  Crown 
8vo,  olivine  edges,  $1.50. 

With  the  Conquest  of  Mexico  as  the  groundwork  of  his  story.  Mr. 
Henty  has  interwoven  the  adventures  of  an  English  youth.  He  is 
beset  by  many  perils  among  the  natives,  but  by  a  ruse  he  obtains  the 
protection  of  the  Spaniards,  and  after  the  fall  of  Mexico  he  succeeds  in 
regaining  his  native  shore,  with  a  fortune  and  a  charming  Aztec  bride. 

THROUGH  THE  SIKH  WAR 

A  Tale  of  the  Conquest  of  the  Punjaub.     By  G.  A.  HENTY. 

With  12  full-page  Illustrations  by  HAL  HURST,   and  a 

Map.    Crown  8vo,  olivine  edges,  $1.50. 

Percy  Groves,  a  spirited  English  lad,  joins  his  uncle  in  the  Punjaub, 
where  the  natives  are  in  a  state  of  revolt.  Percy  joins  the  British 
force  as  a  volunteer,  and  takes  a  distinguished  share  in  the  famous 
battles  of  the  Punjaub. 


HOOKS  FOR  YOUNG  PEOPLE. 


BY  G.  A.  HENTY 

"  No  living  writer  of  books  for  boys  writes  to  better  purpose  than  Mr.  G.  A.. 
Henty."— Philadelphia  Pi-ess. 


TRUE  TO  THE  OLD  FLAG 

A  Tale  of  the  American  War  of  Independence.  By  G.  A. 
HENTY.  With  12  full-page  Illustrations  by  GORDON 
BROWNE.  Crown  8vo,  olivine  edges,  $1.50. 

A  graphic  and  vigorous  story  of  the  American  Revolution,  which 
paints  the  scenes  with  great  power,  and  does  full  justice  to  the  pluck 
and  determination  of  the  soldiers  during  the  unfortunate  struggle. 

THE  LION  OF  ST.  MARK 

A  Tale  of  Venice  in  the  Fourteenth  Century.  By  G.  A. 
HENTY.  With  10  full-page  Illustrations  by  GORDON 
BROWNE.  Crown  8vo,  olivine  edges,  $1.50. 

A  story  of  Venice  at  a  period  when  her  strength  and  splendor  were 
put  to  the  severest  tests.  The  hero  displays  a  fine  sense  aud  manliness 
which  carry  him  safely  through  an  atmosphere  of  intrigue,  crime,  and 
bloodshed. 

THE  LION  OF  THE  NORTH 

A  Tale  of  Gustavus  Adolphus  and  the  Wars  of  Religion. 
By  G.  A.  HENTY.  With  12  full-page  illustrations  by 
JOHN  SCHONBERQ.  Crown  8vo,  olivine  edges,  $1.50. 

In  this  story  Mr.  Henty  gives  the  history  of  the  first  part  of  the 
Thirty  Years'  War.  The  issue  had  its  importance,  which  has  extended 
to"  the  present  day,  as  it  established  religious  freedom  in  Germany. 
The  army  of  the  chivalrous  King  of  Sweden  was  largely  composed  of 
Scotchmen,  and  among  these  was  the  hero  of  the  story. 

IN  GREEK  WATERS 

A  Story  of  the  Grecian  War  of  Independence  (1821-1827).  By 
G.  A.  HENTY.  With  12  full-page  Illustrations  by  W.  S. 
STACEY,  and  a  Map.  Crown  8vo,  olivine  edges,  $1.50. 

Deals  with  the  revolt  of  the  Greeks  in  1821  against  Turkish  op- 
pression. Mr.  Beveridge  and  his  son  Horace  fit  out  a  privateer,  load 
it  with  military  stores,  and  set  sail  for  Greece.  They  rescue  the  Chris- 
tians, relieve  the  captive  Greeks,  and  fight  the  Turkish  war  vessels. 

WITH  LEE  IN  VIRGINIA 

A  Story  of  the  American  Civil  War.  By  G.  A.  HENTY.  With 
10  full-page  Illustrations  by  GORDON  BROWNE,  and  6 
Maps.  Crown  8vo,  olivine  edges,  $1.50. 

The  story  of  a  young  Virginia  planter,  who  serves  under  Lee  and 
Jackson  through  the  most  exciting  events  of  the  struggle.  He  has 
many  hairbreadth  escapes,  is  several  times  wounded  and  twice  taken 
prisoner  ;  but  his  courage  and  readiness  bring  him  sa/°lv  through  all 
difficulties. 


BOOKS  FOR  YOUKQ  PBOPLB 


BY  G.  A.  HENTY 
I  "Mr.  Henty'a  books  never  fall  to  Interest  boy  readers."— Academy. 


WITH  CLIVE  IN  INDIA 

Or,  The  Beginnings  of  an  Empire.  By  G.  A.  HETTY.  With 
12  full-page  Illustrations  by  GOKDON  BBOWNE,  and  a  Map. 
Grown  8vo,  olivine  edges,  SI. 50. 

The  period  between  the  landing  of  Olive  in  India  and  the  close  of  his 
career  was  eventful  in  the  extreme.  At  its  commencement  the  English 
were  traders  existing  on  sufferance  of  the  native  princes;  at  its  close  they 
were  masters  of  Bengal  and  of  the  greater  part  of  Southern  India.  The 
author  has  given  a  full  account  of  the  events  of  that  stirring  time,  while 
he  combines  with  his  narrative  a  thrilling  tale  of  daring  and  adventure. 

THE  YOUNG  CARTHAGINIAN 

A  Story  of  the  Times  of  Hannibal.  By  G.  A.  HENTY.  With 
12  full-page  Illustrations  by  C.  J.  STANILAND,  B.I.  Crown 
8vo,  olivine  edges,  $1.50. 

There  is  no  better  field  for  romance- writers  in  the  whole  of  history  than 
the  momentous  straggle  between  the  Romans  and  Carthaginians  for  the 
empire  of  the  world.  Mr.  Henty  has  had  the  full  advantage  of  much  un- 
exhausted  picturesque  and  impressive  material,  and  has  thus  been  enabled 
to  form  a  striking  historic  background  to  as  exciting  a  story  of  adventure 
as  the  keenest  appetite  could  wish. 

FOR  THE  TEMPLE 

A  Tale  of  the  Fall  of  Jerusalem.  By  G.  A.  HENTY.  With  10 
full-page  Illustrations  by  S.  J.  SOIIOMON,  and  a  colored 
Map.  Crown  8vo,  olivine  edges,  $1.50. 

Mr.  Henty  here  weaves  into  the  record  of  Josephns  an  admirable  and 
attractive  story.  The  troubles  in  the  district  of  Tiberias,  the  march  of  the 
legions,  the  sieges  of  Jotapata,  of  Gamala,  and  of  Jerusalem,  form  the 
impressive  setting  to  the  figure  of  the  lad  who  becomes  the  leader  of  a 
guerrilla  band  of  patriots,  fights  bravely  for  the  Temple,  and  after  a  brief 
term  of  slavery  at  Alexandria,  returns  to  his  Galilean  home. 

THROUGH  THE  FRAY 

A  Story  of  the  Lnddite  Biots.  By  G.  A.  HENTY.  With  12 
full-page  Illustrations  by  H.  M.  PAGET.  Crown  8vo, 
olivine  edges,  $1.50. 

The  story  is  laid  in  Yorkshire  at  the  commencement  of  the  present  cen- 
tury, when  the  high  price  of  food  induced  by  the  war  and  the  introduction 
of  machinery  drove  the  working-classes  to  desperation,  and  caused  them 
to  band  themselves  in  that  wide-spread  organization  known  as  the  Luddite 
Society.  There  is  an  abundance  of  adventure  in  the  tale,  but  its  chief 
interest  lies  in  the  character  of  the  hero,  and  the  manner  in  which  he 
it  put  on  trial  for  his  life,  but  at  last  cornea  victorious  ' '  through  the  fray. " 


BOOKS  FOR  YOUNG  PEOPLE 


BY  G.  A.  HENTY 

"  The  brightest  of  all  the  living  writers  whose  office  *«,  is  to  enchant  the 
boys."—  Christian  Leader. 


CAPTAIN  BAYLEY'S  HEIR 

A  Tale  of  the  Gold  Fields  of  California.  By  G.  A.  HENTY. 
With  12  full-page  Illustrations  by  H.  M.  PAGET.  Crown 
8vo,  olivine  edges,  $1.50. 

A  frank,  manly  lad  and  his  cousin  are  rivals  in  the  heirship  of  a  consider- 
able property.  The  former  falls  into  a  trap  laid  by  the  latter,  and  while 
under  a  false  accusation  of  theft  foolishly  leaves  England  for  America. 
He  works  his  passage  before  the  mast,  joins  a  small  band  of  hunters, 
ciosses  a  tract  of  country  infested  with  Indians  to  the  Calif ornian  gold 
diggings,  and  is  successful  both  as  digger  and  trader. 

IN  FREEDOM'S  CAUSE 

A  Story  of  Wallace  and  Bruce.  By  G.  A.  HENTT.  With  12 
full-page  Illustrations  by  GORDON  BROWNE.  Crown  8vo, 
olivine  edges,  $1.50. 

Relates  the  stirring  tale  of  the  Scottish  War  of  Independence.  The 
hero  of  the  tale  fought  under  both  Wallace  and  Bruce,  and  while  the 
strictest  historical  accuracy  has  been  maintained  with  respect  to  public 
events,  the  work  is  full  of  "hairbreadth  'scapes"  and  wild  adventure. 

A  JACOBITE  EXILE 

Being  the  Adventures  of  a  Young  Englishman  in  the  Service 
of  Charles  XII.  of  Sweden.  By  G.  A.  HENTY.  With  8 
full-page  Illustrations  by  PAUL  HABDY,  and  a  Map.  Crown 
8vo,  olivine  edges,  $1.50. 

Sir  Marmaduke  Car»tairs,  a  Jacobite,  is  the  victim  of  a  conspiracy,  and 
he  is  denounced  as  a  plotter  against  the  life  of  King  William.  He  flies  to 
Sweden,  accompanied  by  his  son  Charlie.  This  youth  joins  the  foreign 
legion  under  Charles  XII.,  and  takes  a  distinguished  part  in  several 
famous  campaigns  against  the  Russians  and  Folea 

CONDEMNED  AS  A  NIHILIST 

A  Story  of  Escape  from  Siberia.  By  G.  A.  HENTY.  With  8 
full-page  Illustrations.  Crown  8vo,  olivine  edges,  $1.50. 

The  hero  of  this  story  is  an  English  boy  resident  in  St.  Petersburg. 
Through  two  student  friends  he  becomes  innocently  involved  in  various 
political  plots,  resulting  in  his  seizure  by  the  Russian  police  and  his  exile 
to  Siberia.  He  ultimately  escapes,  and,  after  many  exciting  adventures, 
he  reaches  Norway,  and  thence  home,  after  a  perilous  journey  which  lasta 
nearly  two  years. 


BOOKS  FOR  TOUKO  PEOPLE 


BY  G.  A.  HENTY 

"Mr.  Henty  is  one  of  our  most  successful  writers  of  historical  tales." 

—.Scotsman. 

IN  THE  REIGN  OF  TERROR 

The  Adventures  of  a  Westminster  Boy.  By  G.  A.  HENTY. 
With  8  full -page  Illustrations  by  J.  SCHONBEHG.  Crown 
8vo,  olivine  edges,  $1.50. 

Harry  Sandwith,  a  Westminster  boy,  becomes  a  resident  at  the  chateau 
of  a  French  marquis,  and  after  various  adventures  accompanies  the 
family  to  Paris  at  the  crisis  of  the  Revolution.  Imprisonment  and  death 
reduce  their  number,  and  the  hero  finds  himself  beset  by  perils  with  the 
three  young  daughters  of  the  house  in  his  charge.  After  hair-breadth 
escapes  they  reach  Nantes.  There  the  girls  are  condemned  to  death  in 
the  coffinships,  but  are  saved  by  the  unfailing  courage  of  their  boy- 
protector. 

ST.  GEORGE  FOR  ENGLAND 

A  Tale  of  Cressy  and  Poitiers.  By  G.  A.  HENTY.  With  8  full- 
page  Illustrations  by  GOBDON  BROWNE,  Crown  8vo,  $1.50. 

No  portion  of  English  history  is  more  crowded  with  great  events  than 
that  of  the  reign  of  Edward  III.  Cressy  and  Poitiers ;  the  destruction  of 
the  Spanish  fleet ;  the  plague  of  the  Black  Death  ;  the  Jacquerie  rising; 
these  are  treated  by  the  author  in  ' '  St.  George  for  England. "  The  hero  of 
the  story,  although  of  good  family,  begins  life  as  a  London  apprentice, 
but  after  countless  adventures  and  perils  becomes  by  valor  and  good 
conduct  the  squire,  and  at  last  the  trusted  friend  of  the  Black  Prince. 

A  CHAPTER  OF  ADVENTURES 

Or,  Through  the  Bombardment  of  Alexandria.  By  G.  A. 
HENTY.  With  6  full-page  Illustrations  by  W.  H.  OVER- 
END.  Crown  8vo,  $1.25. 

A  coast  fishing  lad,  by  an  act  of  heroism,  secures  the  interest  of  a  ship- 
owner, who  places  him  as  an  apprentice  on  board  one  of  his  ships.  In 
company  with  two  of  his  fellow-apprentices  he  is  left  behind,  at  Alex- 
andria, in  the  hands  of  the  revolted  Egyptian  troops,  and  is  present 
through  the  bombardment  and  the  scenes  of  riot  and  blood-shed  which 
accompanied  it. 

HELD  FAST  FOR  ENGLAND 

A  Tale  of  the  Siege  of  Gibraltar.  By  G.  A.  HENTY.  With 
8  full-page  Illustrations  by  GORDON  BROWNE.  Crown  8vo, 
olivine  edges,  $1.50. 

This  story  deals  with  one  of  the  moat  memorable  sieges  in  history — 
the  siege  of  Gibraltar  in  1779-83  by  the  united  forces  of  France  and 
Spain.  With  land  forces,  fleets,  and  floating  batteries,  the  combined  re- 
sources of  two  great  nations,  this  grim  fortress  was  vainly  besieged  and 
bombarded.  The  hero  of  the  tale,  an  English  lad  resident  in  Gibraltar, 
takps  a  brave  and  worthy  part  in  the  long  defence,  and  it  is  through  his 
varied  experiences  that  we  learn  with  what  bravery,  resource,  and  te- 
nacity the  Rock  was  b«ld  for  England. 


BOOKS  FOR  YOUNG  PEOPLB 


BY  G.  A.  HENTY 

"  Among  writers  of  stories  of  adventures  for  boys  Mr.  Henty  stands  In  the 
very  first  rank."— Academy. 

FOR  NAME  AND  FAME 

Or,  Through  Afghan  Passes.  By  G.  A,  HENTY.  With  8  full- 
page  Illustrations  by  GORDON  BBOWNE.  Crown  8vo, 
olivine  edges,  SI. 50. 

An  intere sting  story  of  the  last  war  in  Afghanistan.  The  hero,  after 
being  wrecked  and  going  through  many  stirring  adventures  among  the 
Malays,  finds  his  way  to  Calcutta  and  enlists  in  a  regiment  proceeding  to 
join  the  army  at  the  Afghan  passes.  He  accompanies  the  force  under 
General  Roberts  to  the  Peiwar  Kotal,  is  wounded,  taken  prisoner,  carried 
to  Cabul,  whence  he  is  transferred  to  Candahar,  and  takes  part  in  the 
final  defeat  of  the  army  of  Ayoub  Khan. 

ORANGE  AND  GREEN 

A  Tale  of  the  Boyne  and  Limerick.  By  G.  A.  HENTT.  With 
8  full-page  Illustrations  by  GOBDON  BBOWNE.  Crown 
8vo,  olivine  edges,  $1.50. 

The  record  of  two  typical  families — the  Davenants,  who,  having  come 
over  with  Strongbow,  had  allied  themselves  in  feeling  to  the  original  in- 
habitants ;  and  the  Whitefoots,  who  had  been  placed  by  Cromwell  over 
certain  domains  of  the  Davenantg.  In  the  children  the  spirit  of  conten- 
tion has  given  place  to  friendship,  and  though  they  take  opposite  sides 
in  the  struggle  between  James  and  William,  their  good-will  and  mutual 
service  are  never  interrupted,  and  in  the  end  the  Davenants  come  hap- 
pily to  their  own  again. 

MAORI  AND  SETTLER 

A  Story  of  the  New  Zealand  War.  By  G.  A.  HENTY.  With 
8  full-page  Illustrations  by  ALFRED  PEABSE.  Crown  8vo, 
olivine  edges,  $1.50. 

The  Renshaws  emigrate  to  New  Zealand  during  the  period  of  the  war 
with  the  natives.  Wilfrid,  a  strong,  self-reliant,  courageous  lad,  is  the 
mainstay  of  the  household.  He  has  for  his  friend  Mr.  Atherton,  a  botan- 
ist and  naturalist  of  herculean  strength  and  unfailing  nerve  and  humor. 
In  the  adventures  among  the  Maoris,  there  are  many  breathless  moments 
in  which  the  odds  seem  hopelessly  against  the  party,  but  they  succeed  in 
establishing  themselves  happily  in  one  of  the  pleasant  New  Zealand 
valleys. 

A  FINAL  RECKONING 

A  Tale  of  Bush  Life  in  Australia.  By  G.  A.  HENTY.  With 
8  full-page  Illustrations  by  W.  B.  WOLLEN.  Crown  8vo, 
olivine  edges,  $1.50. 

The  hero,  a  young  English  lad.  after  rather  a  stormy  boyhood,  emi- 
grates to  Australia  and  gets  employment  as  an  officer  in  the  mounted 
police.  A  few  years  of  active  work  on  the  frontier,  where  he  has  many  a 
brush  with  both  natives  and  bush-rangers,  gain  him  promotion  to  a  cap- 
taincy, and  he  eventually  settles  down  to  the  peaceful  life  of  a  squatter. 


BOOKS  FOR  YOUHO  PEOPL-t 


BY  G.  A.  HENTY 

0  Mr.  Henty'a  books  are  welcome  visitors  In  the  borne  circle."— Daily  News. 


THE  BRAVEST  OF  THE  BRAVE 

Or,  With  Peterborough  in  Spain.  By  G.  A.  HENTY.  With 
8  full-page  Illustrations  by  H.  M.  PAGET.  Crown  8vo, 
olivine  edges,  $1.50. 

There  are  few  great  leaders  whose  lives  and  actions  have  so  completely 
fallen  into  oblivion  as  those  of  the  Earl  of  Peterborough.  This  is  largely 
due  to  the  fact  that  they  were  overshadowed  by  the  glory  and  successes 
of  Marlborough.  His  career  as  General  extended  over  little  more  than 
a  year,  and  yet,  in  that  time,  he  showed  a  genius  for  warfare  which  has 
never  been  surpassed. 

THE  DRAGON  AND  THE  RAVEN 

Or,  The  Days  of  King  Alfred.  By  G.  A.  HENTY.  With  8  full- 
page  Illustrations  by  C.  J.  STANILAND,  B.I.  Crown  8vo, 
olivine  edges,  $1.50. 

In  this  story  the  author  gives  an  account  of  the  fierce  struggle 
between  Saxon  and  Dane  for  supremacy  in  England,  and  presents  a  vivid 
picture  of  the  misery  and  ruin  to  which  the  country  was  reduced  by  the 
ravages  of  the  sea-wolves.  The  hero,  a  young  Saxon  thane,  takes  part  in 
all  the  battles  fought  by  King  Alfred.  He  is  driven  from  his  home,  takes 
to  the  sea,  and  resists  the  Danes  on  their  own  element,  and  being  pursued 
by  them  up  the  Seine,  is  present  at  the  long  and  desperate  siege  of  Paris. 

FACING  DEATH 

Or,  The  Hero  of  the  Vaughan  Pit.  A  Tale  of  the  Coal  Mines. 
By  G.  A.  HENTY.  With  8  full-page  Illustrations  by 
GOBDON  BKOWNE,  Crown  8vo,  olivine  edges,  $1.50. 

"  Facing  Death  "  is  a  story  with  a  purpose.  It  is  intended  to  show  that 
a  lad  who  makes  up  his  mind  firmly  and  resolutely  that  he  will  rise  in 
life,  and  who  is  prepared  to  face  toil  and  ridicule  and  hardship  to  carry 
out  his  determination,  is  sure  to  succeed.  The  hero  of  the  story  is  a 
typical  British  boy,  dogged,  earnest,  generous,  and  though  "shamefaced" 
to  a  degree,  is  ready  to  face  death  in  the  discharge  of  duty. 

BY  SHEER  PLUCK 

A  Tale  of  the  Ashanti  War.  By  G.  A.  HENTY.  With  8  full- 
page  Illustrations  by  GORDON  BKOWNE.  Crown  8vo, 
olivine  edges,  $1.50. 

The  author  has  woven,  in  a  tale  of  thrilling  interest,  all  the  details  of 
the  Ashanti  campaign,  of  which  he  was  himself  a  witness.  His  hero, 
after  many  exciting  adventures  in  the  interior,  is  detained  a  prisoner  by 
the  king  just  before  the  outbreak  of  the  war,  but  escapes,  and  accom- 
panies the  English  expedition  on  their  march  to  Coom»«sie. 


BOOKS  FOR  rOUFG  PEOPLE 


BY  G.  A.  HENTY 

propriety  be  caiied 


THE  CAT  OF  BUBASTES 

A  Story  of  Ancient  Egypt.  By  G.  A.  HENTY.  With  8  full- 
page  Illustrations.  Crown  8vo,  olivine  edges,  $1.50. 

A  story  which  will  give  young  readers  an  unsurpassed  insight  into  the 
customs  of  the  Egyptian  people.  Amuba,  a  prince  of  the  Rebu  nation,  ia 
carried  with  his  charioteer  Jethro  into  slavery.  They  become  inmates  of 
the  house  of  Ameres,  the  Egyptian  high-priest,  and  are  happy  in  his 
service  until  the  priest's  son  accidentally  kills  the  sacred  cat  of  Bubaetes. 
In  an  outburst  of  popular  fury  Ameres  is  killed,  and  it  rests  with  Jethro 
and  Amuba  to  secure  the  escape  of  the  high-priest's  son  and  daughter. 

ONE  OF  THE  28™ 

A  Tale  of  Waterloo.  By  G.  A.  HENTY.  With  8  full-page  Il- 
lustrations by  W.  H.  OVEKEND,  and  2  Maps.  Crown  8vo, 
olivine  edges,  $1.50. 

The  hero  of  this  story,  Ralph  Conway,  has  many  varied  and  exciting 
adventures.  He  enters  the  army,  and  after  some  rough  service  in  Ire- 
land takes  part  in  the  Waterloo  campaign,  from  which  he  returns  with 
the  loss  of  an  arm,  but  with  a  substantial  fortune. 

STURDY  AND  STRONG 

Or,  How  George  Andrews  made  his  Way.  By  G.  A.  HENTT. 
With  4  full-page  Illustrations.  Crown  8vo,  $1.00. 

The  history  of  a  hero  of  everyday  life,  whose  love  of  truth,  clothing 
of  modesty,  and  innate  pluck,  carry  him,  naturally,  from  poverty  to  af- 
fluence. George  Andrews  is  an  example  of  character  with  nothing  to 
cavil  at,  and  stands  as  a  good  instance  of  chivalry  in  domestic  life. 

TALES  OF  DARING  AND  DANGER 

By  G.  A.  HENTY.  With  2  full-page  Illustrations.  Crown 
8vo,  75  cents. 

Containing  five  stories,  varied  in  scene  and  character,  but  all  w  :  ad- 
venturous interest  and  telling  of  youthful  heroism  under  dangerous  and 
trying  circumstances  on  land  and  on  sea. 

YARNS  ON  THE  BEACH 

By  G.  A.  HENTY.  With  2  full-page  Illustrations.  Crown 
8vo,  75  cents. 

This  book  should  find  special  favor  among  boys.  The  yarns  are  spun 
by  old  sailors,  and  are  admirably  calculated  to  foster  a  manly  spirit. 


BOOKS  FOR  YOUtfG  PEOPLE 


DROLL  DOINGS 

Illustrated    by    HARRY    B.    NEILSON,    with    verses   by    the 
COCKIOLLY  BIRD.     4to,  decorated  boards.     $3.00. 

A  new,  original,  and  very  amusing  book  of  animal  pictures  in  color. 


BY  CARTON  MOORE  PARK 

A  BOOK  OF  BIRDS 

Profusely  Illustrated  with  full-page  plates,  vignettes,  cover 
design,  &c.,  &c.  Demy  4to  (13  inches  by  10  inches).  $2.00 

No  artist  has  caught  more  thoroughly  the  individualities  of  the  bird 
world,  or  has  reproduced  them  with  more  lifelike  vivacity  and  charm. 

AN  ALPHABET  OF  ANIMALS 

With  26  full-page  Plates,  a  large  number  of  vignettes,  and 
cover  design  by  CARTON  MOORE  PARK.  Demy  4to  (13 
inches  by  10  inches),  $2.00. 

A  strikingly  artistic  alphabet  book.  Mr.  Park's  drawings  are  marked 
by  extraordinary  boldness  and  vigor  of  treatment;  but  they  display  in 
addition  a  rare  appreciation  of  the  subtler  characteristics  or  the  animai 
world.  Of  these  individual  traits  Mr.  Park  has  an  intuitive  percep- 
tion, and  his  pictures  may  almost  be  said  to  live  upon  the  page. 


BRIGHT  AND  ORIGINAL  FAIRY  TALES 

THE  PRINCESS  OF  HEARTS 

ByoHEiLA  E.  BRAINE.  With  70  illustrations  by  ALICE  B. 
WOODWARD,  and  Frontispiece  in  Colors.  Square  8vo, 
gilt  edges,  $2.00. 

GO  TELL  THE  KING  THE  SKY  IS  FALLING 

By  SHEILA  E.  BRAINE.  With  85  Illustrations  by  ALICE  B. 
WOODWARD.  Square  crown  8vo,  $1.75. 

THE  LITTLE  BROWNS 

By  MABEL  E.  WOLTON.  With  80  Illustrations  by  H.  M. 
BROCK,  and  a  Colored  Frontispiece.  Square  8vo,  gilt 
edges,  $2.00. 

The  little  Browns  are  a  delightful  set  of  youngsters,  more  than 
usually  individual  and  self-reliant.  During  their  parents'  absence  they 
extend  hospitality  to  a  stranger,  under  the  belief  that  he  is  their  uncle 
from  Australia.  The  supposed  uncle  is  really  a  burglar,  and  by  their 
courage  and  childish  resource  they  outwit  him.  The  Little  Brvwns  is 
the  work  of  a  true  child-lover. 


BOOKS  FOR  fOUNtf  PBOPLS 


BY  PROFESSOR  A,  J.  CHURCH 


LORDS  OF  THE  WORLD 

A  Story  of  the  Fall  of  Carthage  and  Corinth.  By  Professor 
A.  J.  CHURCH.  With  12  full-page  Illustrations  by  RALPH 
PEACOCK.  Crown  8vo,  olivine  edges,  SI. 50. 

The  scene  of  this  story  centres  in  the  destruction  of  Carthage  by  the 
Romans.  The  young  hero  is  captured  by  the  Romans,  but  wearing  the 
dress  of  his  twin  sister,  escapes  death.  Entering  the  army  of  Carthage 
he  is  in  the  thick  of  the  long  conflict  and  passes  through  many  thrilling 
adventures.  He  is  present  at  the  final  scene,  and  that  awful  catastrophe 
is  most  vividly  told.  The  story  is  full  of  valuable  historical  details  and 
the  interest  never  flags. 

TWO  THOUSAND  YEARS  AGO 

Or,  The  Adventures  of  a  Eoman  Boy.  By  Professor  A.  J. 
CHURCH.  With  12  full-page  Illustrations  by  ADRIEN 
MARIE.  Crown  8vo,  olivine  edges,  $1.50. 

The  hero  is  a  young  Roman  who  has  a  very  chequered  career,  being 
now  a  captive  in  the  hands  of  Spartacns,  again  an  officer  on  board  a 
vessel  detailed  for  the  suppression  of  the  pirates,  and  anon  a  captive 
once  more,  on  a  pirate  ship. 

BY  S.  BARING-GOULD 


GRETTIR  THE  OUTLAW 

A  Story  of  Iceland.     By  S.  BARING- GOULD.     With  10  full- 
page  Illustrations  by  M.  ZENO  DIEMER,  and  a  Colored 
Map.     Crown  8vo,  olivine  edges,  SI -50. 
No  boy  will  be  able  to  withstand  the  magic  of  such  scenes  as  the  fight 

of  Grettir  with  twelve  bearserks,  and  the  wrestle  with  Karr  the  Old  in 

the  chamber  of  the  dead. 


BY  F.  FRANKFORT  MOORE 


HIGHWAYS  AND  HIGH  SEAS 

Cyril    Harley's   Adventures    on    Both.       By  F.   FRANKFORT 
MOORE.   With  8  full-page  Illustrations  by  ALFRED  PEARSE. 
Crown  8vo,  olivine  edges,  $1.50. 
The   story  belongs  to  a  period  when  highways  meant  post-chaises, 

coaches,  and  highwaymen,  and  when  high  teas  meant  privateers  and 

smugglers. 

UNDER  HATCHES 

Or,  Ned  Woodthorpe's  Adventures.    ByF.  FRANKFORT  MOORE. 

With  8  full-page  Illustrations  by  A.  FORESTIER.     Crown 

8vo,  olivine  edges,  $1.50. 

In  rescuing  another  lad  from  drowning,  Ned  Woodthorpe  is  taken  on 
board  a  convict  ship.  After  a  series  of  exciting  events  the  convicts  and 
crew  obtain  the  mastery.  Ultimately  the  ship  is  recaptured  and  Ned 
and  his  friends  escape  from  their  troubles. 


BOOKS  FOR  YOUNG  PEOPLE 


CAPT.  F.  S.  BRERETCN 

WITH  RIFLE  AND  BAYONET 

A  Story  of  the  Boer  War.  With  8  Illustrations  by  WAL. 
PAGET.  Crown  8vo,  olivine  edges.  $1.50. 

Jack  tomerten,  the  hero  of  With  Rifle  and  Bayonet,  is  an  English 
boy  who  chances  to  be  spending  a  vacation  at  the  home  of  a  school 
friend  in  the  Transvaa.  just  before  the  outbreak  of  the  Boer  war.  Jack 
is  the  first  Uitlander  tc  find  actual  evidence  that  the  Boers  are  import- 
ing arms  and  ammunition  in  large  quantities,  but  the  Boers  soon  learn 
that  he  has  discovered  their  secret  and  from  that  time  his  life  is  in 
constant  danger.  The  account  of  his  adventures  and  escapes  during 
this  time  and  throughout  the  war  makes  one  of  the  best  war  tales  of 
many  years. 

The  story  gives  also  the  most  interesting  details  of  Transvaal  his- 
tory, who  the  Boers  were,  how  they  came  to  settle  the  Transvaal,  and 
the  Government  and  customs  that  have  arisen  among  them. 

IN  THE  KING'S  SERVICE 

A  Tale  of  Cromwell's  Invasion  of  Ireland.  With  eight  page 
Illustrations  by  STANLEY  L.  WOOD.  Crown  8vo,  olivine 
edges.  $1.50. 

Dick  Granville  is  the  eon  of  a  Royalist  who  is  driven  from  his  home 
in  Cheshire  and  takes  refuge  at  Caetle  Driscoe,  in  Ireland.  When  the 
Parliamentary  army  crosses  to  Ireland  young  Dick  Granville  and  his 
cousin  join  a  body  of  Royalist  horse.  They  take  part  in  the  defense  of 
Drogheda,  only  escaping  from  the  slaughter  there  by  a  miracle,  and 
afterwards  go  through  a  series  of  thrilling  adventures  and  narrow  es- 
capes In  which  Dick  displays  extraordinary  skill  and  resource. 

WITH  SHIELD  AND  ASSEGAI 

A  Tale  of  the  Zulu  War.     With  6  Illustrations  by  STANLEY 

L.  WOOD.     Crown  8vo.    $1.25. 

Donald  Stewart,  the  son  of  an  English  missionary  in  Zululand,  when 
at  school  in  England,  is  wrongfully  accused  of  theft.  He  runs  away, 
enlists  in  the  British  army,  and  is  sent  to  Africa.  There  he  learns  that 
his  sister  and  a  friend  are  in  the  hands  of  Cetewayo.  Disguised  as  a 
Zulu,  he  rescues  the  two  girls  ;  and  after  the  attack  upon  Ulundi,  he 
hears  from  a  dying  officer  a  confession  of  the  theft  of  which  he  was  ac- 
cused.   

FIGHTING  THE  MATABELE 

By  J.  CHALMERS.  With  6  Illustrations  by  STANLEY  L.  WOOD. 
12mo.  $1.25. 

A  STOUT  ENGLISH  BOWMAN 

Being  a  Story  of  Chivalry  in  the  Days  of  Henry  III.  By 
EDGAR  PICKERING.  With  6  illustrations.  Price,  $1.25. 

IN  PRESS-GANG  DAYS 

By  EDGAR  PICKERING.  With  6  full  page  Illustrations  by  W. 
S.  STACEY.  Crown  8vo.  $1.25. 


BOOKS  FOR  YOUNQ  PEOPLR 


BY  ROBERT  LEIGHTON 

1  Mr.  Lelghton'a  place  is  in  the  front  rank  of  writers  of  boys'  books." 

— Standard 


THE  GOLDEN  GALLEON 

Illustrated,  crown  8vo,  olivine  edges,  $1.50. 

This  is  a  story  of  Queen  Elizabeth's  time,  just  after  the  defeat  of  the 
Spanish  Armada.  Mr.  Leighton  introduces  in  his  work  the  great  sea- 
fighters  of  Plymouth  town  —  Hawkins,  Drake,  Raleigh,  and  Richard 
Grenville. 

OLAF  THE  GLORIOUS 

By  EGBERT  LEIGHTON.     With  8  full-page  Illustrations  by 

EALPH  PEACOCK.  Crown  8vo,  olivine  edges,  $1.50. 
This  story  of  Olaf ,  King  of  Norway,  opens  with  his  being  found  living 
as  a  bond-slave  in  Esthoma,  and  follows  him  through  his  romantic  youth 
in  Russia.  Then  come  his  adventures  as  a  Viking,  his  raids  upon  the 
coasts  of  Scotland  and  England,  and  his  conversion  to  Christianity.  He 
returns  to  Norway  as  king,  and  converts  his  people  to  the  Christian 
faith. 

WRECK  OF  "THE  GOLDEN  FLEECE" 

The  Story  of  a  North  Sea  Fisher-boy.  By  ROBERT  LEIGHTON. 
With  8  full-page  Illustrations  by  FRANK  BRANGWYN. 
Crown  8vo,  olivine  edges,  $1.50. 

The  hero  is  a  parson's  son  who  is  apprenticed  on  board  a  Loweetoft 
fishing  lugger.  The  lad  suffers  many  buffets  from  his  shipmates,  while 
the  storms  and  dangers  which  he  braved  are  set  forth  with  intense  power. 

THE  THIRSTY  SWORD 

A  Story  of  the  Norse  Invasion  of  Scotland  (1262-63).  By 
EGBERT  LEIGHTON.  With  8  full-page  Illustrations  by 
AiiFRED  PEARSE,  and  a  Map.  Crown  8vo,  olivine  edges, 
$1.50. 

This  story  tells  how  Roderic  MacAlpin,  the  sea-rover,  came  to  the  Isle 
of  Bute ;  how  he  slew  his  brother  in  Rothesay  Castle ;  how  the  earl's 
eldest  son  was  likewise  slain ;  how  young  Kenric  now  became  king  of 
Bute,  and  vowed  vengeance  against  the  slayer  of  his  brother  and  father  ; 
and  finally,  how  this  vow  was  kept,  when  Kenrio  and  the  murderous 
sea-rover  met  at  midnight  and  ended  their  feud  in  one  last  great  fight. 

THE  PILOTS  OF  POMONA 

A  Story  of  the  Orkney  Islands.    By  EGBERT  LEIGHTON.    With 
8  full-page  Illustrations  by  JOHN  LEIGHTON,  and  a  Map. 
Crown  8vo,  olivine  edges,  $1.50. 
Halcro  Ericson,  the  hero,  happens  upon  many  exciting  adventures  and 

nardy  experiences,  through  which  he  carries  himself  with  quiet  courage. 

The  story  gives  a  vivid  presentation  of  life  in  these  far  northern  isianda. 


BOOKS  FOR  YOUXQ  PBOPLB 


BY  KIRK  MUNROE 


MIDSHIPMAN   STUART 

Or,  the  Last  Cruise  of  the  Essex.    A  Tale  of  the  War  of 
1812.    Illustrated.    12mo,  $1.25 

IN  PIRATE  WATERS 

A  Tale  of  the  American  Navy.      Illustrated  by  I.  W. 

TABER.     12mo,  $1.25. 

The  hero  of  the  story  becomes  a  midshipman  In  the  navy  just  at 
the  time  of  the  war  with  Tripoli  His  own  wild  adventures  among 
the  Turks  and  his  love  romance  are  thoroughly  interwoven  with  the 
stirring  history  of  that  time. 

THE    "WHITE    CONQUERORS"    SERIES 

WITH  CROCKETT  AND  BOWIE 

Or,  Fighting  for  the  Lone  Star  Flag.     A  Tale  of  Texas. 

With  8  full-page  Illustrations  by  VICTOR  P£R\RD. 

Crown  8vo,  $1.25. 

The  story  is  of  the  Texas  revolution  in  1835.  when  American  Texans 
under  Sam  Houston,  Bowie,  Crockett  and  Travis,  fought  for  relief 
from  the  intolerable  tyranny  of  the  Mexican  Santa  Ana.  The  hero, 
Rex  Hardin,  son  of  a  Texan  ranchman  and  graduate  of  an  American 
military  school,  takes  a  prominent  part  in  the  heroic  defense  of  the 
A lai'i'i,  and  the  final  triumph  at  San  Jacinto. 

THROUGH  SWAMP  AND  GLADE 

A  Tale  of  the  Seminole  War.     By  KIRK  MUNROE.    With  8 
full-page  Illustrations  by  V.  P^RARD.  Crown  8vo,  $1.25. 

Coacoochee,  the  hero  of  the  story,  is  the  son  of  Philip  the  chieftain 
of  the  Seminoles.  He  grows  up  to  lead  his  tribe  in  the  long  struggle 
which  resulted  in  the  Indians  being  driven  from  the  north  of  Florida 
down  to  the  distant  southern  wilderness. 

AT  WAR  WITH  PONTIAC 

Or,  The  Totem  of  the  Bear.    A  Tale  of  Redcoat  and  Red- 
skin.   By  KIRK  MUNROE.    With  8  full-page  Illustra- 
tions by  J.  FINNEMORE.    Crown  8vo,  $1.25. 
A  story  when  the  shores  of  Lake  Erie  were  held  by  hostile  Indians. 
The  hero,  Donald  Hester,  goes  in  search  of  his  sister  Edith,  who  has 
been  captured  bv  th»  Indians.    Strange  and  terrible  are  his  experi- 
ences ;  ror  ne  Is  wounded,  taken  prisoner,  condemned  to  be  burned,  but 
Contrives  to  escape.    In  the  end  all  things  terminate  happily. 

THE  WHITE  CONQUERORS 

A  Tale  of  Toltec  and  Aztec.     By  KIRK  MUNROE.    With  8 

full-page  Illustrations.    Crown  8vo,  $1.25. 
This  story  deals  with  the  Conquest  of  Mexico  by  Cortes  and  his 
Spaniards,  the  "White  Conquerors,"  who,  after  many  deeds  of  valor, 
pushed  their  way  into  the  great  Aztec  kingdom  and  established  thefr 
power  in  the  wondrous  city  where  Montezuma  reigned  in  splendor. 


BOOKS  FOR  YOUNQ  PSOPLS 


BY  Drt.  CORDON  STABLES 


COURAGE  TRUE  HEART 

A  Brilliant  New  Story  of  Danger  and  Daring  on  the  Sea.     By 
GORDON  STABLES,  M.D.,   C.M.    Illustrated,  crown  8vo, 


A  NAVAL  CADET 

A  Story  of  Adventure  by  Sea.  By  GORDON  STABLES,  M.D., 
C.M.  Illustrated,  crown  8vo,  $1.25. 

FOR  LIFE  AND  LIBERTY 

A  Story  of  Battle  by  Land  and  Sea.  By  GORDON  STABLES, 
M.D.,  C.M.  With  8  full-page  Illustrations  by  SIDNEY 
PAGET.  12mo,  $1.50. 

The  story  of  an  English  boy  who  runs  from  home  and  joins  the  south- 
ern army  in  the  late  Civil  War.  His  chum  enters  the  navy,  and  their 
various  adventures  are  set  forth  with  great  vigor  and  interest. 

TO  GREENLAND  AND  THE  POLE 

A  Story  of  Adventure  in  the  Arctic  Regions.  By  GORDON 
STABLES,  M.D.,  C.M.  With  8  full-page  Illustrations  by 
G.  C.  HINDLEY,  and  a  Map.  Crown  8vo,  olivine  edges, 
$1.50. 

The  author  is  himself  an  old  Arctic  voyager,  and  he  deals  with  deer- 
hunting  in  Norway,  sealing  in  the  Arctic  Seas,  bear-stalking  on  the 
ice-floes,  the  hardships  of  a  journey  across  Greenland,  and  a  successful 
voyage  to  the  back  of  the  North  Pole. 

WESTWARD  WITH  COLUMBUS 

By  GORDON  STABLES,  M.D.,  C.M.  With  8  full-page  Illustra- 
tions by  ALFRED  PEAKSE.  Crown  8vo,  olivine  edges,  $1.50. 

The  hero  of  this  story  is  Columbus  himself.  His  career  is  traced  from 
boyhood  onward  through  the  many  hazardous  enterprises  in  which  he 
was  at  various  times  engaged.  The  narrative  deals  chiefly,  however, 
*vith  the  great  naval  venture  which  resulted  in  the  discovery  of  the 
American  continent. 

TWDCT  SCHOOL  AND  COLLEGE 

A  Tale  of  Self-reliance.  By  GORDON  STABLES,  M.D.,  C.M. 
With  8  full-page  Illustrations  by  W.  PARKINSON.  Crown 
8vo,  olivine  edges,  $1.50. 


BOOKS  fvn  rotnro  PBOPLR 


BY  HARRY  COLLINQWOOD 

THE  LOG  OF  A  PRIVATEERSMAN 

By  HARRY  COLLINGWOOD.  With  12  full-page  Illustrations  by 
W.  BAINEY,  B.I.  Crown  8vo,  olivine  edges,  §1.50. 

In  the  war  between  Napoleon  and  the  British,  many  privateers  were 
sent  out  from  England  to  seize  and  destroy  the  French  merchant  vessels. 
On  one  of  these  George  Bowen  went  as  second  mate.  Long  distance 
duels  at  sea,  fights  at  close  quarters,  fierce  boarding  attacks,  capture  and 
recapture,  flight  and  pursuit,  storm  and  wreck,  fire  at  sea  and  days  with- 
out food  or  water  in  a  small  boat  on  the  ocean,  are  some  of  the  many 
thrilling  experiences  our  hero  passed  through. 

THE  LOG  OF  "THE  FLYING  FISH." 

A  Story  of  Aerial  and  Submarine  Peril  and  Adventure.  By 
HARRY  COLLINGWOOD.  With  12  full-page  Illustrations  by 
GORDON  BROWNE.  Crown  8vo,  $1.00. 

In  this  story  the  aim  of  the  author  has  been,  not  only  to  interest  and 
amuse,  but  also  to  stimulate  a  taste  for  scientific  study. 

THE  MISSING  MERCHANTMAN. 

By  HARRY  COLLINGWOOD.  With  6  full-page  Pictures  by  W. 
H.  OVEHEND.  Crown  8vo,  $1.00. 

A  fine  Australian  clipper  is  seized  by  the  crew ;  the  passengers  are 
landed  on  one  deserted  island,  the  captain  and  a  junior  officer  on  another; 
and  the  young  hero  of  the  story  is  kept  on  board  to  navigate  the  ship, 
which  the  mutineers  refit  as  a  private  vessel.  After  many  adventures 
Ned  succeeded  in  carrying  off  the  ship,  and  in  picking  up  the  captain 
and  the  passengers. 

THE  CONGO  ROVERS 

A  Tale  of  the  Slave  Squadron.      By  HARRY  COLLINGWOOD. 

With  8  full-page  Illustrations  by  J.  SCHONBERG.     Crown 

8vo,  olivine  edges,  $1.50. 

The  scene  of  this  thrilling  tale  is  laid  on  the  west  coast  of  Africa 
among  the  slavers. 

THE  ROVER'S  SECRET 

A  Tale  of  the  Pirate  Cays  and  Lagoons  of  Cuba.    By  HARRY 
COLLTNGWOOD.     With  6  full-page  Illustrations  by  W.  C. 
SYMONS.    Crown  8vo,  $1.00. 
The  hero  of  "  The  Rover's  Secret,"  a  young  officer  of  the  British  navy, 

narrates  his  peculiar  experiences  in  childhood  and  his  subsequent  perils 

and  achievements. 

THE  PIRATE  ISLAND 

A  Story  of  the   South  Pacific.      By  HARRY  COLLINGWOOD. 
Illustrated  by  8  full-page  Pictures  by  C.  J.  STANILAND 
and  J.  E.  WELLS.     Olivine  edges.    Crown  8vo,  $1.50. 
This  story  details  the  adventures  of  a  lad  who  was  found  in  his  infancy 
on  board  a  wreck,  and  is  adopted  by  a  fisherman.     Going  to  sea,  he 
forms  one  of  a  party  who.  after  being  burned   out  of  their  ship,  are 
picked  up  by  a  pirate  brig  and  taken  to  the  "Pirate  Island,"  where 
they  have  many  thrilling  adventures. 


BOOKS  FOR  YOUNQ  PEOPLE 


BY  GEORGE  MANVILLE  FENN 

"  Mr.  Fenn  is  in  the  front  rank  of  writers  for  "boys."— Liverpool  Mercury. 


DICK  O'  THE  FENS 

A  Romance  of  the  Great  East  Swamp.  With  12  full-page 
Illustrations  by  FRANK  DADD.  Crown  8vo,  £  1.50. 

BROWNSMITH'S  BOY 

With  6  page  Illustrations.     Crown  8vo,  $1.00. 

YUSSUF  THE  GUIDE 

Being  the  Strange  Story  of  Travels  in  Asia  Minor.  With 
8  full  page  Illustrations.  Crown  8vo,  $1.00. 

THE  GOLDEN  MAGNET 

A  Tale  of  the  Land  of  the  Incas.  With  12  full-page  Pic- 
tures by  GORDON  BROWNE.  Crown  8vo,  $1.50. 

NAT  THE  NATURALIST 

A  Boy's  Adventures  in  the  Eastern  Seas.  Illustrated  by  8 
full-page  Pictures  by  GEORGE  BROWNE.  Crown  8vo, 
oli  vine  edges,  $1.50. 

QUICKSILVER 

Or,  A  Boy  with  no  Skid  to  his  Wheel.  With  10  full-page 
Illustrations  by  FRANK  DADD.  Crown  8vo,  $1.25. 

DEVON  BOYS 

A  Tale  of  the  North  Shore.  With  12  full-page  Illustra- 
tions by  GORDON  BROWNE.  Crown  8vo,  $1.50. 

MOTHER  CAREY'S  CHICKEN 

Her  Voyage  to  the  Unknown  Isle.  With  8  full-page  Illus- 
trations. Crown  8vo,  $1.00. 

BUNYIP  LAND 

The  Story  of  a  Wild  Journey  in  New  Guinea.  With  6 
full-page  Illustrations  by  GORDON  BROWNE.  Crown 
8vo,  $1.25. 

IN  THE  KING'S  NAME 

Or,  The  Cruise  of  the  Kestrel.  Illustrated  by  12  full-page 
Pictures  by  GORDON  BROWNE.  Crown  8vo,  $1.50. 

MENHARDOC 

A  Story  of  Cornish  Nets  and  Mines.  With  6  full-page 
Illustrations  by  C.  J.  STANILAND.  Crown  8vo,  $1.00. 

PATIENCE  WINS 

Or  War  in  the  Works.  With  6  full-page  Illustrations. 
Crown  8vo.  $1.00. 


BOOKS  FOR  YOUyO  PEOPLE 


STORIES  OF  ADVENTURE    BY   SEA   AND   LAND 


PARIS  AT  BAY 

A  Story  of  the  Siege  and  the  Commune.  By  HERBERT 
HAYENS.  With  8  full-page  Illustrations  by  STANLEY 
L.  WOOD.  Crown  8vo,  olivine  edges,  $1.50. 

THE  TURKISH  AUTOMATON 

A  Tale  of  the  Time  of  Catharine  the  Great  of  Russia.  By 
SHEILA  E.  BRAINE.  With  6  full-page  Illustrations  by 
WILLIAM  RAINEY,  R.  I.  Crown  8vo,  $1.25. 

A  MYSTERY  OF  THE  PACIFIC 

By  OLIPHANT  SMEATON.  With  8  Illustrations  by  WAL 
PAOET.  12mo,  olivine  edges,  $1.50. 

GOLD,  GOLD,  IN  CARIBOO 

A  Story  of  Adventure  in  British  Columbia.  By  CLIVE 
PHILLIPPS-WOLLEY.  With  6  full-page  Illustrations  by 
G.  C.  HINDLEY.  Crown  8vo,  $1.25.- 

HIS  FIRST  KANGAROO 

An  Australian  Story  for  Boys.  By  ARTHUR  FERRES.  With  6 
Illustrations  by  P.  B.  8.  SPENER.  Crown  8vo,  $1.25. 

SOU'WESTER  AND  SWORD 

By  HUGH  St.  LEQER.  With  6  full -page  Illustrations  by 
HAL  HURST.  Crown  8vo,  $1.50. 

WITH  THE  SEA  KINGS 

A  Story  of  the  Days  of  Lord  Nelson.  By  F.  H.  WINDER. 
With  6  full-page  Illustrations  by  W.  S.  STACEY. 
Crown  8vo,  $1.50. 

THE  WIGWAM  AND  THE  WAR-PATH 

Stories  of  the  Red  Indians.    By  ASCOTT  R.  HOPE.    Illustrated 

by  GORDON  BROWNE.    Crown  8vo,  $1.00. 
"Mr.  Hope's  '  Wigwam  and  War-path  '  Is  notably  good ;  It  gives  a 
very  vlrid  picture  of  life  among  the  Indians." — Spectator. 

THE  SEVEN  WISE  SCHOLARS 

By  ASCOTT  R.  HOPE.  Illustrated  by  GORDON  BROWNE.  Square 
8vo,  $1.50. 

YOUNG  TRAVELLERS'  TALES 

By  ASCOTT  R.  HOPE.  With  6  full-page  Illustrations  by  H.  J. 
DRAPER.  Crown  8vo,  $1.25. 


BOOKS  FOR  YOUNG  PEOPLE 


STORIES  OF  ADVENTURE    BY  SEA  AND  LAND 


WULFRIC  THE   WEAPON  THANE 

The  Story  of    the  Danish    Conquest  of  East  Anglia.      By 
CHARLES  W.  WHISTLER.    With  6  Illustrations  by  W.  H. 
MARGETSON.    Crown  8vo,  $1.25. 
A  tale  in  which  is  set  forth: — How  Wulfric  saved  the  Danish  warrior's 

life ;  how  he  fought  in  the  Viking  ship  ;  how  he  was  accused  falsely ; 

how  he  joined  King  Eadmund,  as  his  weapon-thane;  how  he  fought 

for  the  king  ;  and  how  he  won  the  lady  Osritha  and  brought  her  to  TUB 

home. 

TOMMY  THE  ADVENTUROUS 

The  Story  of  a  Brother  and  Sister.  By  S.  E.  CARTWBIGHT. 
With  8  Illustrations.  Crown  8vo,  $1.00. 

SILAS  VERNEY 

A  Tale  of  the  Time  of  Charles  II.  By  EDGAR  PICKERING. 
With  6  full-page  Illustrations  by  ALFRED  PEARSE.  Crown 
8vo,  $1.25. 

AN  OCEAN  OUTLAW 

A  Story  of  Adventure  in  the  good  ship  Margaret.  By  HUGH 
ST.  LEGER.  With  6  page  Illustrations  by  WM.  RAINEY, 
R.  I.  Crown  8vo,  $1.25.  « 

This  is  a  breezy  sea-yarn  in  which  the  reader  is  made  acquainted  with 

Jimmy  Ducks,  a  tiptop  sailor-man  and  a  hero  at  cutlass  work;  and  all 

his  cleverness  was  needed  when  he  and  his  messmates  came  to  tackle 

the  Ocean  Outlaw. 

THE  LOSS  OF  JOHN  HUMBLE 

What  Led  to  It,  and  what  Came  of  It.  By  G.  NORWAY.  With 
8  full-page  Illustrations  by  JOHN  SCHONBERG.  Crown 
8vo,  olivine  edges,  $1.50. 

HAL  HUNGERFORD 

Or,  The  Strange  Adventures  of  a  Boy  Emigrant.    By  J.  R. 

HUTCHINSON.    With  4  full-page  Illustrations  by  STANLEY 

BERKELEY.    Crown  8vo,  $1.25. 

"  There  is  no  question  whatever  as  to  the  spirited  manner  in  which 
the  story  is  told ;  the  death  of  the  mate  of  the  smuggler  by  the  teeth 
of  the  dog  is  especially  effective."— London  Spectator. 

SIR  WALTER'S  WARD 

A  Tale  of  the  Crusades.    By  WILLIAM  EVERARD.    Illustrated 

by  WALTER  PAGET.    Crown  8vo,  $1.25.. 
"  A  highly  fascinating  work,  dealing  with  a  period  which  is  always 
iuggestive  of  romance  and  deeds  of  daring." — Schoolmaster. 

HUGH  HERBERT'S  INHERITANCE 

By  CAROLINE  AUSTIN.  With  6  full-page  Illustrations  by  C.  T. 

GARLAND.    Crown  8vo,  $1.25. 

"  A  story  that  teaches  patience  as  well  as  courage  in  fighting  the 
battle* oflife."— Daily  Chronicle. 


BOOKS  FOR  YOUXO  PEOPLE 


JONES  THE  MYSTERIOUS 

By  CHARLES  EDWARDES.  With  3  Illustrations  by  HAROLD 
COPPING.  12mo,  75  cts. 

A  bright  story  of  English  schoolboy  life,  with  mysterious  happenings 
to  the  hero,  who  has  a  secret  and  weird  "power,"  bestowed  upon  him 
by  his  East  Indian  bearer. 

THE  HISTORY  OF  GUTTA-PERCHA  WILLIE 

The  Working  Genius.  By  GEORGE  MACDONALD.  With  8 
Illustrations  by  ARTHUR  HUGHES.  New  Edition.  12mo, 
75  cts. 


"  Hallowe'en  »  Ahoy! 

Or,  Lost  on  the  Crozet  Isl- 
ands. By  HUGH  ST.  LEGER. 
With  6  page  Illustrations. 
Crown  8vo,  $1.50. 


The  Search   for  the  Talisman 

A  Tale  of  Labrador.  By 
HENRY  FRITH.  Illustrated. 
Crown  8vo,  $1.35. 


Famous  Discoveries  by  Sea  and 
Land 

Illustrated.  Crown  8vo,  $1.00. 


From  the  Clyde  to  the  Jordan 

By  HUGH  CALLAN.  With  30 
Illustrations  and  a  Map. 
Crown  8vo,  $1.50. 


Jack  CXLanthorn 

A  Tale  of  Adventure.  By 
HENRY  FRITH.  Illustrated. 
Crown  8vo,  $1.00. 


Tales  of  Captivity  and 


By  W.  B.  FORTESCUE.    Illus- 
trated.   Crown  8vo,  $1.00. 


HISTORICAL  STORIES 


A  Thane  of  Wessex 

Being  a  Story  of  the  Great 
Viking  Raids  into  Somerset. 
By  CHARLES  W.  WHISTLER. 
Illustrated.  Crown  8vo, 
$1.25. 


A  Prisoner  of  War 

A  Story  of  the  Time  of 
Napoleon  Bonaparte.  By 
G.  NORWAY.  With  6  full- 
page  Illustrations  by  ROB- 
ERT BARNES,  A.R.W.S. 
Crown  8vo,  $1.25. 


BOOKS  FOR  YOUNG  PEOPLE 


SOME  BOOKS  FOR  GIRLS 

THE  REIGN  OF  THE  PRINCESS  NASKA 

By  AMELIA  HUTCHISON  STIRLING.  With  55  Illustrations 
by  PAUL  HARDY.  12mo,  $1.00. 

THE  WHISPERING  WINDS 

And  che  Tales  that  they  Told.  By  MARY  H.  DEBENHAM. 
With  25  Illustrations  by  PAUL  HARDY.  Crown  8vo,  $1 .00. 

v '  We  wish  the  winds  would  tell  us  stories  like  these." 

— London  Academy. 

THINGS  WILL  TAKE  A  TURN 

By  BEATRICE  HARRADEN,  author  of  "Ships  that  Pass  in  the 
Night."  Illustrated.  12mo,  $1.00. 

It  is  the  story  of  a  sunny-hearted  child,  Rosebud,  who  assists  her 
grandfather  in  his  dusty,  second-hand  bookshop. 

NAUGHTY  MISS  BUNNY 

Her  Tricks  and  Troubles.     By  CLARA  MULHOLLAND.     Illus- 
trated.    Crown  8vo,  75  cents. 
"  This  naughty  child  is  positively  delightful."— Land  and  Water. 

UNLUCKY 

A  Fragment  of  a  Girl's  Life.     By  CAROLINE  AUSTIN.     Illus- 
trated.    Crown  8vo,  75  cents. 
A  touching  story  of  an  unlucky  girl  at  odds  with  her  stepmother. 

LAUGH  AND  LEARN 

The  Easiest  Book  of  Nursery  Lessons  and  Nursery  Games. 
By  JENNETT  HUMPHREYS.  Charmingly  Illustrated.  Square 
8vo,  $1.25. 

"  One  of  the  best  books  of  the  kind  imaginable,  full  of  practical  teach- 
ing in  word  and  picture,  and  helping  the  little  ones  pleasantly  along  a 
eight  royal  road  to  learning."—  Graphic. 

ADVENTURES  IN  TOYLAND 

By  EDITH  KING  HAIL.     With  8  Colored  Plates  and  72 
other  Illustrations  by  ALICE  B.  WOODWARD.     Square 
8vo,  $2.00. 
The  story  of  what  a  little  girl  heard  and  saw  in  a  toy  shop. 


BOOKS  FOR  YOUNG  PEOPLE 


SOME  BOOKS  FOR  CIRLS. 

A  NEWNHAM  FRIENDSHIP 

By  ALICE  or RONACH.  With  6  Illustrations  by  HAROLD  COP- 
PING. Crown  8vo.  $1.25. 

In  A  Nevmham  Friendship  we  have  a  description  of  life  at  Newnham 
College.  Carol  Martin,  a  third-year  student,  befriends  a  "  fresher," 
Elspeth  Macleod,  a  shy,  sensitive  Highland  girl,  who  has  worked  her 
way  from  a  board  school  to  college.  The  enmity  of  a  fellow-student 
and  a  mystery  about  some  parodies  cloud  Elspeth's  happiness  for  a 
time.  But  the  clouds  clear.  Men  students  play  their  part  in  the  story, 
and  the  closing  chapters  describe  the  work  of  some  of  the  girls  as 
"  social  settlers  "  in  the  east  of  London. 

THREE  FAIR  MAIDS 

Or,  The  Burkes  of  Derrymore.  By  KATHARINE  TYNAN. 
With  12  Illustrations  by  G.  D.  HAMMOND.  Crown  8vo, 
olivine  edges.  $1.50. 

A  story  of  Irish  country  life.  The  three  fair  maids  are  the  daughters 
of  an  impoverished  Irish  lady.  Their  father  had  been  disinherited  by 
his  uncle  for  marrying  against  his  wish.  Sir  Jasper's  disinheritance 
obliged  them  to  give  up  their  great  house,  Derrymore,  but  the  family 
is  ultimately  reconciled  with  Uncle  Peter,  who  makes  Elizabeth  his 
heiress. 

QUEEN  CHARLOTTE'S  MAIDENS 

By  SARAH  TYTLER,  author  of  "  Girl  Neighbors."  With  3  Il- 
lustrations by  PAUL  HARDY.  12mo.  75  cts. 

GIRL  NEIGHBORS 

Or,  The  Old  Fashion  and  the  New.  BY  SARAH  TYTLER. 
With  8  full-page  Illustrations  by  C.  T.  GARLAND.  Crown 
8vo.  $1.00. 

"  Oirl  Neighbort  is  a  pleasant  comedy,  not  so  much  of  errors  as  of 
prejudices  got  rid  of,  very  healthy,  very  agreeable,  and  very  well 
written." — London  Spectator. 

THE  HEIRESS  OF  COURTLEROY 

By  ANNE  BEALE.  With  8  page  Illustrations  by  T.  C.  H. 
CASTLE.  Crown  8vo,  cloth ;  elegant,  olivine  edges.  $1.50. 

"  Miss  Anne  Beale  relates  how  the  young  'Heiress  of  Courtleroy' 
had  such  good  influence  over  her  uncle  as  to  win  him  from  his  in- 
tensely sem&h  ways  in  regard  to  his  tenants  and  others." — London 
Guardian. 


BOOKS  FOR  YOUNG  PEOPLE 


SOME    BOOKS   FOR   CIRLS 


THE  LADY  ISOBEL 

A  Story  for  Girls.    Ey  ELIZA  F.  POLLAKD.    With  4  Illustra- 
tions by  W.  FULTON  BROWN.    12mo,  $1.00. 
A  Tale  of  the  Scottish  Covenanters. 

A  GIRL  OF  TO-DAY 

By  ELLINOR   DAVENPORT  ADAMS.     With   6   page   Illustra- 
tions  by  GERTRUDE  DEMAIN  HAMMOND,  R.  I.     Crown 

8vo,  $1.25. 

The  boys  and  girls  of  Woodend  band  themselves  together,  and  that 
they  have  plenty  of  fun  is  seen  in  the  shopping  expedition  to  purchase 
stores  for  their  society,  and  in  the  successful  Christmas  entertainment. 
Max  Brenton's  fight  with  Joe  Baker,  the  bully,  shows  that  their  work 
has  its  serious  side  as  well. 

A  DREADFUL  MISTAKE 

By  GERALDINE   MOCKLER.     With   4  page   Illustrations  by 

WILLIAM  RAINEY,  R.  I.    Crown  8vo,  $1.25. 
The  mistake  occurs  at  the  very  beginning  of  the  book,  gradually 
rights  itself  during  the  course  of  the  story,  and  at  the  end  is  found  to 
be  the  very  best  thing  that  could  have  happened.    A  very  amusing 
character  is  an  eccentric  aunt. 

HER  FRIEND  AND  MINE 

A  Story  of  Two  Sisters.    By  FLORENCE  COOMBE.    With  3 
Illustrations  by  WM.  RAINEY.     12mo,  $1.00. 

THE  EAGLE'S  NEST 

By  S.  E.  CARTWRIGHT.    With  3  Illustrations  by  WM.  RAINEY. 
12mo,  $1.00. 

MY  FRIEND  KATHLEEN 

By  JENNIE  CHAPPELL.      With  4  Illustrations  by  JOHN  H. 
BACON.    12mo,  $1.00. 

A  DAUGHTER  OF  ERIN 

By  VIOLET  G.  FINNY.    With  4  Illustrations.    Price,  $1.00. 


Under  False  Colors 

A    Story    from    Two     Girls' 
Lives.  By  SARAH  DOUDNEY. 
With    6   full-page  Illustra- 
tions by  G.  G.  KILBURNE. 
Crown  8vo,  $1.25. 
A  story  which  has  in  it  so  strong 
a  dramatic  element  that  it  will  at- 
tract readers  of  all  ages  and  of 
either  sex. 


BY  M.  CORBET-SEYMOUR 
A  Girl's  Kingdom 

Illustrated.   Crown  8 vo,  $1.00. 
Olive  an<i  her  story  will  receive 
welcome  from  all  girls. 

Dulcie  King 

A  Story  for  Girls.  Illustrated. 
Crown  8vo,  $1.00. 


BOOKS  FOR  TOUNG  PEOPLE 


SOME  BOOKS  FOR  GIRLS 


BY  ALICE  CORKRAN 
Down  the  Snow  Stairs 

Or,  From  Good-night  to  Good- 
morning.    BY  ALICE  CORK- 
RAN.      With   60   character 
Illustrations     by    GORDON 
BROWNE.      Square     crown 
8vo,  olivine  edges,  $1.25. 
"  A  gem  of  the  first  water,  hear- 
ing upon  every  one  of  its  pages  the 
signet  mark  of  genius. 
All  is  told  with  such  simplicity 
and  perfect  naturalness  that  the 
dream  appears  to  be  a  solid  reality. 
It   is   indeed   a   little    Pilgrim's 
Progress. ' ' —  Christian  Leader. 

Margery  Merton's  Girlhood 

By  ALICE  CORKRAN.  With  6 
full-page  Illustrations  by 
GORDON  BROWNE.  Crown 
8vo,  $1.25. 

The  experience  of  an  orphan 
girl  who  in  infancy  is  left  by  her 
lather,  an  officer  in  India,  to  the 
care  of  an  elderly  aunt  residing 
near  Paris. 

Joan's  Adventures 

At  the  North  Pole  and  Else- 
where. By  ALICE  CORKRAN. 
Illustrated.     Crown  8vo,  75 
cts. 
A  beautiful  dream-land  story. 

Adventures  of  Mrs.  "Wishing- 
to-Be 

By  ALICE  CORKRAN.  With 
3  full-page  Pictures  in 
colors.  Crown  8vo,  75  cts. 

BY  MRS.  R.  H.  READ 
Dora; 

Or,  A  Girl  without  a  Home. 
Illustrated.  Crown  8vo, 
$1.25. 


Nell's  School  Days 

A  Story  of  Town  and  Country. 
By  H.  P.  GETHEN.  With  4 
Illustrations.  Price,  $1.00. 

Violet  Vereker's  Vanity 

By  ANNIE  E.  ARMSTRONG. 
With  6  Illustrations  by  G. 
D.  HAMMOND.  Crown  8vo, 
$1.25. 


Three  Bright  Girls 

A  Story  of  Chance  and  Mis- 
chance. By  ANNIE  E.  ARM- 
STRONG. With  6  full-page 
Illustrations  by  W.  PARK- 
INSON. Crown  8vo,  $1.25. 

"  Among  many  good  stones  for 
girls  this  is  undoubtedly  one  of 
the  very  best." — Teachers'  Aid. 


A  Very  Odd  Girl 

Life    at   the    Gabled    Farm. 

By  ANNIE  E.  ARMSTRONG. 

With  6  full-page   Illustra\ 

tions  by  S.  T.  DADD.  Crown 

$1.25. 


White  Lilac 


XV 

e\  M 


Or,  the  Queen  of  the^  May. 
By  AMY  WALTON.  Illus- 
trated. Crown,8\jo,  $1.00. 

BY  MARGARET  PARKER 
V         I 

For  the  Sake  of  a  Friend 

A  Story  of  School  Life.  Il- 
lustrated. Crown  8vo,  $1.00. 


CHARLES  SCRIBNER'S  SONS 


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